The Alchemist, the Scott, and the Violin Player
by chibimaker
Summary: Melody Kilgore, age: 16, her problem: she got thrown into a parallel dimension along with her best friend! Now she follows the Elrics in their quest, her trusty skills and best buddy beside her. Anime-based, OCxOC. Reviews and flames welcomed, COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1

1

"Mom… Mom… Mom! Ma!… Maaa!…MAAA!!!"

"One second! I'm a little busy right now!!"

"Okay." Melody turned back to the show she was watching with her little brother.

"Come _on_." He whined, "I hate this show, can we _please_ watch something else?" Melody held the remote in her hands and waved it around tauntingly.

"I've got the remote, so we watch what I wanna watch and I wanna watch this, so stop being a big baby and take it like a man!" She said. Louis made a grab for the remote, but Melody swiped it away, sticking her tongue out in the process. In their house, there was only one TV. It was a twelve-inch screen, and the button to change the channels was broken, so only the remote could change the channels on it. So the rule was 'whoever has the remote, controls what you watch.' It was a pain sometimes, but not always, in Louis' case at the moment it was a pain, mostly because the show 'Dirty Jobs' on the Discovery channel made him sick to his stomach.

"Come on, Mels!" He whined reaching for the remote Melody was holding away from him at arm's length with a smirk on her face. This happened a lot with her seven-year-old brother, "No fair! You're bigger than me! MAMA!!!!"

"Not now! Figure it out yourselves!" Their mother called.

"Well, let's see. From what I can figure," Melody said playfully, "I'm bigger than you, older than you, and I've got the remote. So that automatically puts me in a higher position than you, so suck it up, Mama's boy!" He reached to get it again, but Melody moved it away from his grasp.

"No fair! No fair! No fair!" He whined, "I hate this show!"

"Tough." Melody said, Louis gave a groaning noise and sat down, arms crossed and pouting. "Ah, stop being such a baby! I've seen this episode, it's not so bad! All he does is get a zombie makeover. It's not that gross."

"Zombie?" Louis asked.

"Yeah, zombies. You know, the living dead? That's a zombie." Melody said. Louis made an audible sound that sounded like 'blegh!' and got up to go to his room. "I'll holler for ya when I'm done, 'kay squirt?" Louis didn't respond; he just shut his bedroom door. About two hours later, Mel switched off the TV.

"Hey, Lou! I'm done!" Louis came running out, snatched the remote from her hands, and sat in the recliner chair she had sat in previously. He flipped it to his favorite cartoons, and Melody let out an audible sigh, seeing as it was one of the newest cartoons. This one was called 'Chowder' and it was on the Cartoon Network channel. "Really? 'Chowder?' That's an awful cartoon!" She said. Louis looked at her, acting as if they didn't go through this conversation every time he laughed at one of the latest cartoons.

"What's wrong with it?" He asked. Melody put a hand to her head in exasperation.

"There's nothing wrong with it, it's just stupid. I mean, what happened to good, old-fashioned slapstick cartoons? Like the Looney Toons, or Tom and Jerry?" She said. Louis looked at her funny.

"They have those cartoons, though." He said, she sighed again.

"No, not the new ones, I mean the classics! The cartoons that came right after the three stooges in the comedy line up on television!" She said. Louis tilted his head.

"Who're the three stooges?" He asked, Melody gaped at him.

"Who're the--! Ah, you know what, screw it. You'll never get it no matter how many times I tell you." She walked off to her room.

"Mom! Melody said a bad word!!" He yelled, Melody rolled her eyes and shut her door. She slunk into her bed; she wondered if arguing with her little brother was all she was able to do. She wanted to go out and do something to get out of the house, but she wasn't a fan of parties, she didn't have many friends, she only liked being alone when she was in her room, and she wasn't exactly skilled at anything other than drawing pictures. She wished she could do more than just that, she wished she could dance, she wished she could sing, she wished she could be spontaneous. Instead, she was just plain old Melody; someone who wasn't exactly worth throwing a parade for.

"Melody!" Her mother was calling her, "Time to take you and Louis to practice!" She sighed.

"Coming Mom!" She yelled back. She wasn't a fan of violin practice, but she still liked the ability to play some songs on the violin. Louis was learning how to play the saxophone, much to her distaste.

She picked up her dad's old pocket watch, he had left it to her when he died and she treasured it dearly. It was silver, and it had a picture of a rose on the front. On the inside, other than the ticking hands, was a picture of her deceased father, her younger brother and herself. Both of them smiling and her dad hugging her tight. She hooked it to her belt and put it in her pocket, where it belonged.

She grabbed her old black jacket and headed for the door, when she opened it she didn't see her hallway, she saw a hallway covered in strange drawings and circles. She got scared and tried to get back in her room, but found no door. She soon felt something jerking on her, and she toppled back and fell through a hole, screaming the whole way.


	2. Chapter 2

For the record, I OWN NOTHING!! Only Melody.

2

She landed on concrete, hard. A loud groan escaped her and she held her side in pain. She cursed as she stood up, her left side throbbing every second. She looked at her surroundings, she found herself in an alley of a town she didn't recognize on a rainy day. She put a hand on the wall next to her to steady herself as she went to look for help. She hissed as the pain became more intense as she walked. She looked down the street and found nothing, must be a slow day if there isn't a single car on the road.

She walked down the sidewalks, looking for anything that might lead her to a hospital, a police station, or maybe a mental facility because she was seriously out of it if she saw all those freaky symbols in her own house. She soon saw lights flashing and going off in another alley not too far from where she was. She heard some crashing sounds and went to investigate.

"_Brother!!" _Somebody shouted out, she ran to see what the problem was and saw a beat up suit of armor, a man with an X on his face, an old man, and a little blonde-haired kid with one arm. Yeah, she was definitely going crazy. The X-man advanced toward the blonde kid and the armor yelled, "No brother! Get up and run! Get out of here!!" She was surprised at the sound of the voice that came out, it sounded like some kid's. The man came in front of the blondie and stood there.

"I will give you a moment to pray." He said. The kid just looked down.

"Thanks for the gesture, but I don't believe. Stopped a long time ago." He said, he turned to the man and said, "Back at the time you told me you lost your older brother. Died in Ishbal, right?"

"Correct, Fullmetal. He was killed by a state alchemist." The man said. State alchemist? What was that?

"Well I'm the oldest brother." The kid said, "So take my life and go. That's an equivalent exchange, don't you think?" The man gave a small look of surprise.

"No! What are you talking about brother?" The armor yelled, "You just said yourself a life doesn't equal a life!"

"Stay out of this Al, I'm doing what's fair!" The kid yelled back before turning back to the man, "I'm a state alchemist, I should be enough."

"I promise before God, I won't hurt your brother." The man said, "But you should listen to him, Fullmetal. Your life for another is not a fair exchange." He pulled the sleeve of his jacket down to reveal a detailed tattoo. "Nothing in this world can equal the loss of my brother and my people. Nothing can make it easier to bear!" He put his hand into a fist.

"Really?" The kid asked, "Then why are you murdering all these people?" Huh? This guy was a murderer? Wait, he said 'all these people' so is he a serial killer? And he's about to kill this kid!? The man put his hand on the kid's head.

"Brother! What are you doing!? Get away from him!!" The armor yelled. "Brother, run! We're all we've got, remember!? We're all we've got!!!" Melody couldn't take much more of this; she didn't want to see some poor kid get killed! "I don't want this…" The armor made an effort to go to the kid, that's when Melody saw there wasn't anyone in the armor. _"NO!!!" _

She couldn't stand it anymore. She picked up a couple rocks and threw one at his head, she had to remember to thank her dad for all those times they had baseball practice together when she died. The man grunted in pain, even though the rock was the size of his fist, there wasn't any blood. She must not have thrown it hard enough.

"Hey Scarface!!" She yelled, getting his attention. He turned and faced her with a glare. "I don't know who your God is, but if there's something in your religion about not taking revenge, or the lives of others, then I suggest you stop before you throw yourself into a personal hell!!" The kid stared at her, wide-eyed.

"You don't understand." The man said, turning to her. "These acts are the will of God." She held the other rock in her hand, gripping it tight.

"Yeah right!" She yelled winding up to hit him again, "If killing others is the act of God, then I'm a three-eyed poodle!!" She threw another rock at him, this time he caught it. There were red sparks, and the rock crumbled out of his hand. She staggered back in shock. The man eyed the chain from her dad's old pocket watch.

"You are another state alchemist?" He said, Melody didn't say anything, she was still freaking out. "What is your name?" He asked, Melody got her senses back.

"My name is none of your damn business!!" She yelled. She pulled out her switchblade that she kept on her person at all times. It had gotten her out of a lot of sticky situations involving a local gang calling themselves 'The Music Killers.' "I'm sorry you lost your brother, and I'm sorry you lost your people, but you have no right to take the lives of some kids as payback!!" She ran at him, ready to fight, and he dodged her first strike pretty easily. She tried again, and he dodged. She tried again, and he caught her blade, there were more flashes and the knife exploded. She drew her hand back in slight pain from the shockwave it made.

"Dammit! That was a present from my cousin, you jackass!" She growled at him as she held her slightly cut up hand. The man walked closer to her and she took a few steps back.

"I don't want to hurt you." He said. "But if you are a state alchemist, then you must pay for your sins." Melody glared at him.

"I don't even know what the hell that is!!" She yelled, she pulled her uninjured hand back to punch him, but she soon heard gunfire and one of the bullets buzzed right by her. "Whoa! Hey! Watch your aim, asshole!!" She yelled and saw a brigade of officers in a uniform she had never seen before. The man growled, brought his hand to the ground and it exploded, Melody shrieked as some of the debris flew by her. She heard cracking under her and the concrete beneath her disappeared. She was about to fall in when somebody grabbed her by the waist.

She breathed a sigh of relief and looked to see a blonde haired man hold her up. "You alright?" He asked, she smelled the tobacco on his breath and winced on the inside.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She said, the man brought her to her feet. She dusted herself off; it took her a second to realize she was shaking, and started to lose her balance. She put her hand against the wall to steady herself, the pain in her side returning. "Or maybe I'm not…" She muttered as she stood there, only to quickly fall to her knees. The man that caught her had a blanket put over and had her sit against the wall as he investigated the scarred man's escape route. She didn't really pay attention to their conversation as she held her side, hiding her pain. She slowly felt her eyes close and she drifted off.


	3. Chapter 3

I own NOTHING! Just Melody.

3

Havoc kneeled over the hole Scar made, Mustang beside him.

"The classic sewer escape." He said.

"Don't follow him." Mustang ordered, Havoc looked up at him, smirking slightly.

"Dammit, I was about to jump in." He joked. Mustang was about to respond when he heard someone else's voice.

"Nice mess. Is it over yet?" Hughes asked, trying to bring some humor to the situation.

"You know, you could try to help while you're here, Hughes." Mustang said, obviously not amused. Hughes' smile disappeared as he crossed his arms.

"Lay off." He said, "I'm as normal as they come, and this is a contest of freaks, what do you want me to do? Fire my slingshot at him?" His gaze turned and he saw a light-skinned, brunette-haired girl wrapped in a blanket sleeping on the side of the wall. "Who's she?" He asked.

"We don't know." Mustang said, "All we know is she helped out Fullmetal and stopped Scar from killing the two." He looked over at her. Then looked over at Alphonse and saw how beat up he was. "Lieutenant Hawkeye, take crowd control." He ordered, "I don't want anyone getting close." She replied with the usual 'yes, sir' and left. He looked and saw Edward and Al talking to one another. It wasn't that hard to hear what they were saying.

"Say something, Al. Are you still with me?" Ed asked. Al turned his right hand into a fist.

"You idiot!" He punched his older brother.

"What's that for?" Ed asked.

"Why didn't you run away when I told you to?" Al yelled.

"Because, stew for brains, then he woulda killed you!" Ed argued.

"So you decided to die instead? That's really smart." Al replied, Ed glared at him.

"Don't call your older brother an idiot, idiot!" He said, Al grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him up.

"That's not how we do things." Al said sternly, "Live and be content while we can. Live to research more alchemy, so one day we can get our bodies back. That is how we do things, brother. Dying, and dying by yourself, and leaving me on my own…! That's something I won't let you do." Al's arm fell off once he finished speaking and the two of them stared at it. "Oh this is just perfect! Now my arm's fallen off, too! Today is a terrible day!" he exclaimed, flailing his arms around.

"We're really falling apart at the seams, aren't we?" Ed said sadly, "Everyone who sees us must think we're a joke." Al looked at his older brother.

"But we're alive, right?" He asked. Ed smiled sadly.

"Yeah, that we are Al." He replied.

"And it's thanks to that girl, too." Al said, looking at the sleeping brunette that had saved his brother's life. "If she didn't show up when she did, you'd probably be dead by now." Ed followed his brother's gaze and looked at her.

"Yeah, it is because of her." He said, "Remind me to thank her when she wakes up."

* * *

Melody woke up to find herself in a white room. She looked to her left to see a large window looking over a sunny courtyard; she looked to her right to see an empty bed, a nightstand, and a few chairs lying around the room. She was in a hospital. She looked up at the ceiling and tried to figure out what happened.

_Let's see…_ she thought, _First, I went through some hole in my hallway and ended up in an alley. Then I walked on the sidewalk to see some flashing lights and hear a scream. Then I saw that guy with an X on his face, a kid, an old man, and a busted up armor thingy. I heard some of the X-guy's story, and then I hit him with a rock. Then we argued, then I threw another rock and it exploded in his hand. Then I pulled out my switchblade, and he blew that up, too. Note to self: buy a new switchblade. Then I saw those uniformed guys, then the floor blew up, then I got tired, and I must've fallen asleep._

She nodded when she got all the facts down. _So, to review, I landed in an alleyway in who-knows-where, fought a guy, lost a switchblade and I have to get a new one, and I'm in a hospital. Yeah, that sounds about right. _

She attempted to sit up, but her side began to throb again, and she remembered that she got hurt there, too. She groaned as she lifted herself up and rested against the pillow. The door soon opened and she saw a doctor, and a few of the uniformed people from before. The doctor came up to her first, asking all the usual questions, 'How are you feeling?' 'Do you feel lightheaded?' 'Any sore areas?' She answered them all and the doctor said for her to stay in bed for just a little longer before she did anything. She nodded and one of the uniformed men from before came up to her. He had black hair, and his eyes were just as dark. He looked pretty young, and, judging from his looks, he probably had a long line of ex-girlfriends. This guy was probably a regular heartbreaker.

"It's nice to finally meet you." He said, Melody nodded. "I'm Colonel Roy Mustang." he held his hand out to her, she took it smiling politely.

"It's nice to meet you, too. I'm Melody Kilgore, sir." She introduced herself. The man, or Colonel, smiled at her. "What exactly did I do to have a Colonel come and visit me when I'm in the hospital? I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything illegal."

"Actually, I came to thank you." He said, "The two kids you saved happen to work under me, and they wanted to come and see you as soon as you woke up." He turned to the door and a boy with long, blonde, braided hair, golden eyes, and with one arm came in. Melody recognized him.

"Hi." She greeted, the boy nodded back at her. "You okay? It would've sucked if I saved your little butt for nothing." The boy's eye twitched some.

"Little?" He muttered, but he didn't freak out over it. He tried to keep his temper under control. "Yeah, I'm fine. I came to see how you were doing." Melody nodded.

"I'm fine. A little sore, but I'm fine." She smiled. He nodded.

"Good to hear. I'm Edward Elric. It's nice to meet you, Miss Kilgore." Everyone in the room noticed her stiffening up, and shuddering it off. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, fine." Melody said, her smile gone, "I just don't like being called by my last name. It's way too formal. Melody will do just fine." She said her smile returning. Edward smiled back weakly. The colonel turned to her.

"So, Melody. We'd be happy to get you home if you like." Mustang said. Melody looked at him.

"Oh really? Thanks! I need to get home soon, or my mom is gonna have a fit that I missed practice." She said, the colonel quirked an eyebrow.

"Practice for what?" He asked, Melody waved her hand.

"Oh, nothing special. Just violin practice." She said, the colonel nodded.

"So where is your home?" He asked.

"On Red Oak Lane. If you drop me off at Main Street, though, I can get home by myself from there." She said. Mustang quirked an eyebrow.

"Red Oak Lane?" He repeated, Melody nodded.

"I know it's not the nicest neighborhood, but I can take care of myself." She said. Mustang shook his head.

"Where is that?" He asked, Melody smiled.

"It's right off of Main Street, isn't it? Or are you not the best with road directions?" She asked. Mustang shook his head again.

"I've never heard of that street." He said, "Where are you from exactly?" Melody's smile disappeared.

"I just told you." She said.

"No, I mean the name of the town you're from." He said.

"Franklin, Tennessee. Why?" She asked. The colonel gave a puzzled look.

"Where?"

"Franklin, Tennessee! That little parallelogram shaped state in the corner of America! That's where we are, aren't we?" He shook his head.

"No, we're in East City, in Amestris." He said, Melody gave a puzzled look now.

"Huh? Amestris? Where's that?" She asked. Everybody stared at her like she had gone crazy. "What?" She asked them at their stares.

Eventually, she found out that she was in a country called Amestris, and the name Tennessee didn't come up anywhere, neither did Franklin, or America. When she asked for a world map so she could point to where she's from, she saw the Earth had changed the names of everything, and home was nowhere on the map. She was in a completely different place, and when they asked how she got here, she said she didn't remember. She knew if they heard her story, they'd think she was insane, so she decided to keep it to herself.

"Well, now what?" She asked, still sitting on the hospital bed. "Nobody knows where home is, and I'm just stuck here? What the heck am I gonna do? I have no money, no job, no place to live…" She groaned and flopped back on her pillow. "I'm doomed." She said simply.

"I have no idea." Mustang said, "We could set you up with a dorm here with the other state alchemists, but-" Melody snapped back up.

"Oh yeah! I just remembered something!" She said.

"What is it?" Mustang asked, she looked over at him.

"I need to know, that guy with the X on his face, is he a murderer?" She asked, Mustang nodded, "Who did he kill?"

"A large number of state alchemists. Why?" Mustang asked.

"Does he only go after state alchemists? Because when we were fighting he saw this silver pocket watch I had and asked if I was one." She said.

"What did you tell him?" Falman asked.

"I didn't tell him I was an alchemist." The room breathed a sigh of relief, "But I also didn't tell him I wasn't an alchemist, either…" The room tensed.

"Great, now we've got two kids this murderer is after." Havoc muttered.

"Well, what if she just stayed with Ed? I mean, he's already got Armstrong for a bodyguard, and I bet she'd be pretty safe with him." Fury said, Melody looked at Mustang.

"That doesn't sound too bad." She said, Mustang nodded in agreement.

"What? First you set me up with Armstrong for an escort, now I have to baby-sit this girl?" She glared at him.

"Tell me Edward, how old are you?" She asked, Edward glared back.

"I'm fifteen." He said, Melody smirked.

"I'm older than you! So you wouldn't be the one babysitting, short stuff!" She said. Ed felt his veins pop out.

"Who're you calling short, you gigantic freak?" He yelled.

"You! You're the shortest fifteen-year-old I've ever seen!" She yelled back. The two of them had a glaring contest, and Mustang sighed.

"I think it's settled." He said, "Miss Kilgore, you'll be traveling with Fullmetal from now until we can get you home." The two of them turned their attention to him.

"WHAT?"


	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing!

4

Melody let out another sigh. She didn't really want to go to another city just so this shrimp can get his arm fixed. She and Ed hadn't been getting along too well, and she never got two words in to speak to Ed's younger brother, Al, and Major Armstrong… well… she could definitely say this guy was a proud man. Not that there wasn't anything wrong with being proud of your background, he just went a little overboard. And those bulging muscles of his kind of grossed her out.

She sat across from Ed and Armstrong as they waited for the train to get moving.

"Spacious…" Ed muttered. Melody smiled to herself, Ed had to share a bench with Armstrong, and he was a big man! She got the whole bench to herself, and since this was going to be a long trip, she could take a comfy nap. Although, she didn't know how comfy that would be on a train, especially since she had never been on one, at least not such an old fashioned one.

Her thoughts were cut short as she heard knocking on the window and saw a man with glasses and a scruffy looking beard.

"Hey, I've got a message from Roy." He said.

"You mean the Colonel?" Ed asked.

"He said, 'Don't die under my command. You're enough of a pain without the paperwork.' That was it." Melody giggled slightly. Mustang had an interesting way of dealing with his men. If she were a colonel, she'd probably do the same thing with her men.

"Tell him 'Fine, there's no way I'm dying before you, you morally bankrupt colonel with a God complex.'" Ed replied, Hughes snickered a little. "And tell him to take this Gorilla escort and little girl off my hands, too." Melody glared at him, but he didn't notice.

"Alright, easy." He said, trying to calm down the angry Edward. After a moment of silence the man said, "Look, Ed. I don't know what Marcoh said to upset you, but I have some info you might find helpful." Edward looked like he wasn't paying attention, "Three years ago, we found the remains of a young girl who'd been changed into a chimera. I'm sure you remember." Ed's eyes widened.

"Nina…"

"The way she was torn apart," He continued, "Turns out it's identical to the way Scar's killing people." Edward said nothing for a moment, but then he smirked.

"Thanks, Hughes." He said, "That does help. Now I can take him on." Hughes smirked.

"And I'm afraid I've only heard about you, Miss Kilgore." He said. He offered her his hand. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. It's nice to meet you." Melody shook his hand.

"Likewise, sir." She said, smiling the same polite smile from before. He smiled back.

"Oh, and before I forget…" Hughes fumbled through his pocket and pulled out a picture of a young girl, "This here's my adorable daughter Elysia! She recently turned three, isn't she the most beautiful adorable thing you've ever seen?" Melody looked at the picture, her face blank, then she smiled.

"She's so cute! You must be so proud of her, Lieutenant Colonel." She said, smiling as she looked at the picture. "She's three, right? She's so adorable!" Edward gaped at her. Hughes nodded, they heard the train whistle blow and he stuck the picture back in his pocket. He turned and saluted Ed and the major.

"See you in Central." He said, "I'll apply for permission to browse through the first branch without restrictions." Ed and Armstrong saluted back. Melody, not sure of what to do since she wasn't in the military, did nothing accept smile back.

"Don't mind the left handed salute." Ed said, before the train whistle went off again.

* * *

Melody stared out the window as the scenery went by. Riding a train wasn't much different than a simple road trip. Major Armstrong was telling her and Edward about his 'illustrious family history.' Melody wasn't really listening, she started to, though, when the train came to its first stop. It was gray and cloudy outside, and she was glad trains weren't affected by rain and storms, like planes, at least, that's what she hoped. About five minutes after everyone who was getting off there got off and the train had started again, Edward said he was going to check on Alphonse. She glanced as he walked out of their little booth.

Armstrong turned to her, "Miss Kilgore." He said, Melody got chills.

"Melody is just fine, please, Major!" She said, Armstrong nodded.

"Miss Melody, may I see your silver pocket watch?" He asked. Melody's mood changed automatically at the mention of the watch. She reached for her pocket watch and brought it out for the Major to see. "It's a lovely design." He said, looking at the rose on the front. Melody nodded.

"Yeah, I always liked the rose on the front." She said, a sad smile on her face. Armstrong noticed this right away.

"May I ask as to why you have it?" He asked, Melody nodded and opened the watch up so Armstrong could see the picture inside.

"The boy in the picture is my younger brother, Louis. He's seven now." She said, "And the man is my father, Jacob Kilgore. He died when I was twelve and he left me his pocket watch in his will." Armstrong looked at her eyes wide.

"I'm terribly sorry." He said, handing the watch back to her. "This watch must be very important to you." She nodded.

"Yeah, it's all I have left of him. Well, other than his burnt remains in a jar back home." She said, Armstrong quirked an eyebrow.

"I beg your pardon?"

"He wanted to be cremated when he died!" She said, "They put his ashes in a vase and my mom keeps it by her bed on her nightstand. My brother and I aren't allowed to touch it." Armstrong nodded.

"I see." He said, "May I ask as to how he died?" Melody was silent for a moment.

"I don't like talking about it…" She muttered.

"I understand, death is a very hard thing to cope with." He said, "How did your brother take it?"

"He didn't. He was still a baby when Dad died, he barely remembers him." She said looking back out the window, "I guess that's a good thing, considering he doesn't like crying anymore." The silence that followed the conversation was short lived, because Edward came back to their booth, running.

"Major problem." He said, grabbing his coat, "They mistook Al for someone else's cargo and dropped him off at the last stop."

"We'll turn around at the next station." Armstrong said.

"Are you crazy? I can't wait that long!" Ed whined as he started to climb out the window, scaring Melody a bit.

"Yes you can." Armstrong said firmly as he grabbed Ed's pant leg, only to have it rip and show his auto-mail leg.

"Get off my back!" Ed yelled.

"It is important that you calm down, Edward Elric." Armstrong said, Melody nodded.

"Don't worry, Edward, just be patient. We'll get him." She said, Ed let out a huff.

* * *

"What do you mean 'he ran off?'" Ed yelled at the stationmaster, "He wouldn't have done that!" Melody tried to look at the paper Armstrong was scribbling on, but couldn't get a good look.

"The armor looked something like this." He said, showing him the sketch he made of Alphonse, "Are you sure that's what you saw?" Melody marveled at how well done it was. The stationmaster nodded.

"Yeah, you're quite a talented artist, there, sir." He said.

"The ability has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations." He said. _I've gotta learn that ability_, Melody thought.

"How can you act so casual?" Ed yelled and ran to take off, but Armstrong grabbed the back of his coat.

"It's too dangerous!" He said, pulling him back, "We can wait here." Ed turned to him.

"None of you can understand us!" Edward yelled, "We don't operate like you!" Armstrong quirked an eyebrow.

"What's that mean?" He asked.

"Doctor Marcoh told us the truth!" Ed replied, "We know what all you did in Ishbal!" Armstrong's eyes widened and he released his grasp on Edward, frozen. Edward took off the second he let go. Melody watched him leave, then looked back up at the Major.

"Sir?"

* * *

"Great, now we have to search this whole town for one measly kid." Melody grumbled as she and Armstrong walked down rainy sidewalks. He insisted that they go and find Edward or Alphonse, because one is bound to be with the other.

"It's my duty as a soldier to protect the Elric brothers and you, Miss Melody." Armstrong said as they kept walking. "I cannot protect them if they are not here." She snorted.

"You sound like a father obsessed with his kids." She said, "And not the normal I-love-my-kids-so-much-I'd-be-devastated-if-something-happened-to-them obsessed, I mean the creepy I-won't-let-my-kids-out-of-my-sight-because-I-don't-trust-anyone-else kind of obsessed." She crossed her arms and kept walking. "I think you take your job a little too seriously Major." He looked back at her.

"I refuse to leave a young lady by herself at a place she is unfamiliar with." He said, Melody snarled.

"I could've taken care of myself! You saw that station master, I could've taken him with one hand tied behind my back!" She yelled. "I would've been just fine!" She stopped as she heard a low grumbling sound coming from her stomach. Armstrong smirked a little bit. Melody's face turned pink. "You didn't just hear that." She said.

"If you're hungry, we can stop at a restaurant." He said.

"Didn't I just tell you that you didn't hear that?" She said, walking past him, "Come on, let's hurry up and find the little- hey!" Armstrong picked her up and put her over his shoulder. "M-Major! What are you doing? Put me down!" She started hitting his back.

"You need food and I'm getting you some." Armstrong said. Melody blushed.

"I don't _need _it! I can survive without one meal, sir!" She yelled. She kept trying to squirm out of his grasp, but eventually gave up. "Please put me down, sir. I'm not exactly comfortable being held like a bag of flour."

"There's no need for me to, we're here." He said, putting her down. Melody turned and stood in front of a small restaurant.

"Huh, doesn't look half bad." She said, following Armstrong inside. They were set up at a table and Armstrong ordered their daily special (which was steak), while Melody ordered the grilled chicken they had. While they were waiting for their food, Melody asked a question that had been on her mind since they left the station. "Sir? What did Edward mean when he said 'we know what all you did in Ishbal?'" Armstrong froze again.

"Why do you want to know?" He asked sternly, Melody backed off a little.

"I was just curious! You don't have to tell me!" She said. "I was just wondering what he meant, that's all!" They heard a thump behind them and looked to see a small boy on the floor.

"Thomas!" A woman, probably his mother, came down to his side. The boy was extremely pale, sweating like crazy, and gasping. Melody and Armstrong jumped up with a whole bunch of other people as they surrounded the kid. "Thomas, what's wrong?" The woman began tearing up.

"Move!" Melody shoved her way through the small crowd and she knelt down beside the boy. "Miss, may I see your son for a minute?" The woman nodded and complied. "Hey! Somebody call a doctor!" She yelled. Armstrong watched as Melody put a hand on the boy's forehead and the other on his throat. Then she brought his wrist up and checked his pulse. "Major, can you get my bag for me?" Armstrong nodded, went and grabbed her bag and gave it to her.

She opened it up and rifled through it for something. She brought out a syringe and uncapped the needle.

"W-What are you doing?" The boy's mother asked.

"Saving your kid's life." She took the needle, jabbed it into his thigh, and let the liquid inside it go into the boy. A few seconds later, he calmed down and wasn't sweating so much. He was breathing calmly, and his color was returning to his face. Melody wiped her forehead in relief when she saw he wasn't in any more trouble.

"Mommy…" The boy muttered softly.

"Oh, Thomas! Thank goodness you're all right!" The woman embraced her son. Melody put the syringe back in her bag.

"Miss, was your son eating anything before this happened?" Melody asked the woman who nodded.

"He was eating some of the desert…" She said pointing to her table, Melody got up and looked at a half-eaten piece of cake. It had almonds on the icing.

"Ah-ha! Here's the little trouble-maker." She said, holding up one of the chopped almond pieces. "Is this the first time your son has eaten almonds?" The woman and the boy nodded. "Well, your son went into anaphylactic shock because he's allergic, I suggest you don't let him near this stuff anymore, and it won't happen again." The woman nodded.

"Thank you so much Miss!" She said, getting up and hugging Melody. "You saved his life!" Melody turned a small shade of pink and hugged her back.

"Uh, you're welcome…" She said. The little boy came up and hugged her knees.

"Thank you for saving me." He said. Melody turned red.

"Um… I didn't really save you." She said, "I just used the knowledge of this stuff to save you. I did what any doctor would've done."

"How incredibly beautiful!" Armstrong exclaimed grabbing Melody's hands. "A true heroine down to the very end! You save a life and be so modest!" He pulled her into a huge hug. "What a kind, humble soul you have Miss Melody!"

"M-Major… I can't… breathe…" Melody muttered as Armstrong held her. He immediately let her go. She gasped for air, "Thank you, Major. Besides, I didn't save a life, he wouldn't have died, even if I had done nothing. His throat was swelling, but not enough to cut off his oxygen supply completely. He would've just been spazzing out until the doctor showed up." She said.

"As a thank you, let us buy your meal." The woman said.

"Ah! No, no, that's not necessary!" Melody said, waving her hands, "W-we can pay for it ourselves!"

"No, your food's going to be on the house!" Melody turned and met a man with tanned skin and a bushy moustache, "If these people don't pay for your food, I will! I'm the head chef of this place."

"Oh, no, no." Melody said, "I-I couldn't."

"If you refuse my offer, you and your friend will be kicked out of this place." He said, "I insist!" Melody sweat dropped.

"W-well, if you insist…" She said nervously. The man started laughing and brought them their food. She ate some of the chicken and Armstrong ate his steak.

"Miss Melody." Armstrong asked once he was done with his meal, apparently faster than her because she had about a quarter of a piece of chicken left. She looked up at him, her mouth a bit stuffed with some chicken. "How did you know what to do to help that boy?" Melody swallowed her mouthful of food.

"Because I go through the same stuff with my brother and peanuts." She said.

"He's allergic to peanuts?" Armstrong asked, Melody nodded. "I thought the boy had an almond allergy." She nodded again.

"He did, he just had the same reaction. Anaphylactic shock is pretty rare when someone has food allergies, though." She took one last bite of her chicken. "Okay, I'm done, let's go." She said getting up and opening her bag.

"The head chef said the food was on the house." Armstrong said as she got out her wallet (which she had exchanged for the actual currency here).

"I know." She said, putting some money on the table, "I just feel bad if someone does something for me and I don't do anything to repay them."

"You saved a young boy's life." Armstrong said as she headed for the door. "He was just paying you back for your good deed."

"I told you, Major! That boy would have been fine!" She said turning to him as they walked down the road. "I didn't have to do anything! I just chose to!"

"Why did you choose to?" He asked, Melody looked at the ground.

"Because… Seeing him like that reminded me of the first time Lou went into shock…" She said, "And I remembered how scared I was when he couldn't breathe… I guess I just did it because his mom was just as scared as I was then…"

"How very sweet!" Armstrong exclaimed, tears running down his face. Melody jumped from his reaction, "You used your medical skill to save the life of a young boy so he and his mother could live happily! You are truly an angel, Miss Melody!" Melody's blush returned to her cheeks.

"I told you Armstrong! He would have been just fine!" She said through clenched teeth.

"Look at you blush from the kindness of your acts!" He exclaimed, "You are truly a kind woman!"

"_Armstrong! Knock it off!" _She yelled, "It's embarrassing when you tell people that stuff! I don't want you shouting it around, and I definitely don't want you telling Ed, Al, or anyone! Okay?" She looked at the sky before she ever got an answer. It was turning dark. She opened her watch to see it read 4:36. "Is it that late already?"

The two of them continued down the path as they looked for the Elric brothers. About fifteen minutes into their search, Melody tripped over a tree branch and hurt her ankle and Armstrong insisted on piggybacking her. She regretfully agreed. They walked down a dirt road before seeing a cart.

"Major?" Melody strained to see over his shoulder. "Is that them?"

"I believe so." He walked a little faster to catch up to them and Melody could hear some of their conversation.

"Listen Al," Edward was talking, "Do you remember when Col. Mustang showed up in Reseembool? At the Rockbell's? He said he came in response to one of the letters we sent."

"Sure, I remember." Al said, "He said he was looking for dad." Ed stopped pushing the cart.

"Yeah, well. Think that was his actual reason?" He asked "Or was he coming for something else?" The two had reached the cart at this point and Armstrong picked Alphonse up onto his shoulder. When Edward felt the cart shift, he turned and saw him. "Major…"

"I was worried about you." He said.

"Yeah, me too." Melody said, putting a smile on her face.

"It's my fault." Al said, looking down at the Major and Melody.

"What's wrong?" Melody asked, looking at both boys' faces.

"I'm sorry, Major." Edward said, "About earlier. What I said." The Major looked surprised for a minute, then smiled. Melody smiled with him. Then they heard a train whistle.

"That's our train!" He said, "If we don't catch it, we'll have to wait until noon tomorrow. Come on!" He picked Ed up and put him on the shoulder opposite Al.

"Hey! What're you doing?" Ed asked as he got lifted up.

"Time to sprint!" He said, and started running. "This method of short-distance running has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!"

"Put me down!" Ed yelled, "I'm gonna be sick!"

"And I'm gonna break!" Al said.

"And I'm gonna fall off!" Melody said as they ran toward the train station.


	5. Chapter 5

5

"So this is Resembool." Melody said as they walked down the dirt path. She looked around at the scenery and saw large tracts of rolling hills and plenty of grassy plains, lots of trees, basically a farming village.

"It's beautiful here." Major Armstrong said looking out at the scenery, "And so peaceful."

"Yeah. It's rural, a nice way to say there's nothing goin' on." Ed replied. Melody gazed at her surroundings, a big smile on her face.

"Four years, brother." Al said.

"Has it really been that long?" Edward said looking around. Melody's ears pricked up at this.

"You mean, you haven't come home once since you left?" The major asked.

"Can't really come home to a place where there's no family waiting for you." Ed replied. "You know our general situation, don't you, Major?"

"Yes, I do." Armstrong said.

"I don't." Melody whined. "What did you mean when you said you had no family waiting for you?" She walked up beside Ed.

"I meant that we don't have any family waiting for us. No mom or dad waiting for us to come home." Ed said, Melody's eyes widened.

"So, both of your parents are dead?" She asked.

"Our mother is." Al said, "But our dad left when we were little." She saw Ed stiffen at the mention of his father. _Note to self:_ she thought, _Don't talk about Ed's dad in front of Ed._

"That sucks." She said, "I can't see why you wouldn't want to come back to such a lovely place, though. It feels just like home to me." Ed quirked a brow at that statement.

"It does?" He asked, Melody nodded, a big smile on her face. "How so?"

"I grew up on a farm. My mom grew vegetables, and my dad took care of the livestock." She said. "I helped them out a lot, especially during harvest season. Louis used to help mom with the crops while I took care of some of the livestock with dad. Andrew and his sister Andrea would help out, too."

"Who are Louis and Andrew and Andrea?" Al asked. Melody bounced up ahead so Al could look at her face and she could look back.

"Andrew and Andrea are twins that I grew up with. They're old friends of mine." She said, walking backwards, "And Louis is my younger brother."

"What did you mean you said Louis 'used to' help out while you worked with your dad?" Melody's smile disappeared and she turned around, walking forwards again, face down.

"My dad's been dead for four years now." She said solemnly, "My mom kind of let the farm fall apart after he died. I still kept the garden going, though. Even if it is only half the size of the original." Ed's eyes softened.

"Oh…" Was all he could say. As they walked down the path, Melody heard a dog and saw him lying down on a porch, where an old woman was smoking a pipe.

"Winry!" She called, "Better get down here! Honored guests!" Melody smiled as the black dog came running up to them, barking. She noticed his front leg was auto-mail.

"Well, hello to you, too, Den." Ed said to him. Melody kneeled in front of the dog and let him sniff her hand before she pet him.

"His name is Den? He's a real sweetie!" She said, scratching the black dog behind his ears. She stood up to meet the small old woman who came over to greet them.

"Old lady Pinako." Ed said as she came up, "It's been a long time, I need some more of your handy work." He smiled sheepishly. The old woman had a cocky grin on her face when she saw him, now she chuckled.

"Apparently so." She said, "You've really done a number this time, huh?" She walked over to examine his missing arm. "I don't know why you have so much trouble keeping your arms."

"Yeah, well I've had a lot of things to swing at." Ed replied, still a little sheepish.

"Huh, and it seems you've gotten smaller…" She said, and Ed's temper flared up.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' SMALL YA MINIATURE-SIZED HAG!?!?!?" He yelled.

"You're shorter than your temper!!" She yelled back

"YOU'RE SO SHORT YOU'RE TWO-DIMENSIONAL!!!!"

"Micro Moron!!"

"GRANDMA FLEA!!!!" Melody was surprised the old woman could hold her own against a hot-head like Ed. She saw Armstrong put Al down on the ground.

"Edward Elric." He said, the next thing she knows, he standing there flexing his muscles without a shirt. "How dare you speak to your elder with such blatant disrespect!" He flexed into another pose. "Let me remedy this fight with my genteel decorum!" Melody snickered at his amazing arrogance. Pinako sweat dropped.

"Who the heck is this guy? He really doesn't get the joke does he?" She asked, Ed couldn't say much. Armstrong turned to her for a handshake.

"Alex Louis Armstrong. Humbly at your service." He said. The old woman took his hand.

"Flattered. I'm Pinako Rockbell." She said, then she turned to Melody. "And since we're on the subject of new faces, who might you be, my dear?" She smiled sweetly at her.

"I'm Melody Kilgore, Ms. Rockbell. Recent tag-along to the Elric brothers until further notice." She shook hands with her. Pinako laughed.

"Thank you, but Pinako will do just fine, Melody. You have a sense of humor, I like that. You and I will get along just fine." She said, Melody gave a small giggle.

"I certainly hope so!" She said. The next second Ed was impaled with a wrench.

"Brother!" Al yelled, while Melody started laughing like crazy. Pinako stood there, and Armstrong looked confused. Ed groaned and got up to look at the blonde haired girl who had thrown it at him.

"Great! I buy you a wrench and you try to kill me with it!" He yelled.

"Well apparently you've been trying to kill yourself! What have you been up to!?" She yelled back. Neither of the brothers gave a response.

* * *

"GONE!!!???" Winry's scream carried throughout the house, "I'm serious Ed, I want answers! How did wreck the best auto-mail I've ever made!? I put my heart and soul into that!" Ed put a nervous hand behind his head.

"Is it really my fault, though?" He said, "It fell apart so easily." Winry turned and glared at Al suspiciously.

"Al's armor is all busted up to." She said, "And steel doesn't shatter on its own. You've been getting into some real trouble." Al sounded nervous when he spoke.

"Uhh, No. I mean, ask Ed." He said, Melody giggled again, she'd been doing that a lot more lately.

"Guess I was wrong pipsqueak." Pinako said looking at Ed's feet. "You actually have gotten taller, at least by an inch."

"Don't say pipsqueak!" He said. Pinako, obviously finished looking him over, stood up.

"Your talents…" She muttered, "We'll have to make some height adjustments to your leg while you're here. And of course the new arm will have to be built from scratch."

"Listen," Ed said, "I know I'm asking a lot, but can you finish it all in a week? We don't have much time." Pinako took a long breath in from her pipe, and blew out smoke with a smirk on her face.

"Don't insult me, Ed. We'll have it done in three days." She said. Ed smiled.

"You're the best there is, Grans." He said, Melody noticed Winry's confused face.

"But you just got in town, what do you have to do that's so urgent?" She asked. Ed was taken off guard from her question. Al answered for him.

"We just want to get to Central as soon as possible." He said, "We're looking for something, that's all." Winry let out a huff of air, and held up her wrench intimidating the two.

"It wouldn't be something dangerous, would it?" She asked.

"No." Al whimpered out.

"It's nothing like that at all!" Ed said, waving his hand defensively, "Just some research!" He laughs nervously. Melody sees Winry's face go from angry to upset.

"Right…" She muttered, then she turns around and mutters "You're nothing but trouble…" And walks off into the other room.

"We drive her crazy sometimes, but she's always there for us, right?" Al asked, sounding more like a statement than a question.

"Yeah," Ed said, a distant look on his face, "She is."

* * *

Melody sat outside with Al and Ed as he came out with his temporary prosthetic. "Ah, yeah. I know it's just a spare, but there's just something about the way the old lady makes them." Ed said, trying it out. Al and Melody chuckled a little.

"It must be so strange to you guys." Melody said, "Coming back to your old home after four years of not seeing it." Al nodded.

"It is weird being back. Kinda nice." He said, "Nothing's really changed here, has it?" The three of them looked out over at some pastures.

"Not at all." Ed said, looking into the distance. Melody took in a deep breath.

"It's really nice here. I like it," She said, "The sky is so clear, and the air feels so fresh." Ed and Al looked over at her.

"Hey, Melody?" Ed asked, she turned to look at him. "I was wondering about that watch of yours. I know you're not a state alchemist, so why do you have it?" Her smile didn't fade, but it just turned into a sad one. She reached into her pocket and brought it out so the two of them could see it.

"It's a family heirloom." She said as Ed looked it over and opened it to see the picture inside, "It was my father's before he died." Ed and Al looked at the photo of her, her dad, and her brother.

"Is this Louis?" Al asked, Melody nodded. "He looks nothing like your dad, except for the hair." He was pointing out the fact that both Louis and Melody's father had fiery red hair.

"Yeah? You should see him now, he's the spittin' image of him." Melody said. Ed looked over at her with a sad look in his eye.

"That must be painful." Al said, Melody gave him a confused look, "To see your late father's face in your little brother everyday." She waved it off.

"Eh, it was hard at first, but I got over it." She said.

"When was this picture taken?" Ed asked as he handed it back to her.

"About five years ago, I think. I know I was eleven at the time it was taken." Melody said, putting it back in her pocket.

"How did he die?" Ed asked, the sad smile on Melody's face disappeared and there was no smile at all. There was a long pause "You gonna tell us?"

"Only if you tell me how you two got your bodies so screwed up." She said. Ed flinched.

"What!? You can't be serious!" He said.

"It's fair, Ed! My secret for yours!" She said. Ed nodded, but still looked frustrated.

"I know, I know, Equivalent exchange…" He muttered. Melody stared at him, waiting for her answer. "You know, we don't have to know how he died. I'll leave it be." She gave a small smile.

"Good choice, I hate telling that story." She said. Ed looked over at her with sad eyes. Then he lay down on the ground and looked at his spare leg. There was a long silence, but it wasn't awkward, it was actually kind of pleasant. Ed sighed.

"I still feel like we're wasting too much time here." He said, "We've gotta get back to Central and find Marcoh's work."

"We will." Al said, "But don't you think you should relax while you can? Things probably aren't going to be easy when we get there."

"I know I should." Ed said, then he moved all his available limbs with Den. "But I can't stand lying around doing nothing, I get all fidgety!" He whined. Melody giggled at his immature behavior.

"Brother, I've been thinking," Al said, "Maybe you should visit Mom." Ed's eyes widened.

"You mean go to her grave." He said.

"They said the auto-mail would be ready in three days." Al said, "And you've got nothing else to do until then. Go see her, I'll wait here." Ed got up from lying down.

"You're right, I'll be back in a while, I guess…" He said. Melody stood up and stretched.

"Can I come with, Ed? I'm bored out of my mind and I could use a good walk." She said, smiling. Ed looked over at her, then at Al.

"Actually, could you keep Al company? I--"

"She can go with you brother. I don't mind being by myself for a little bit." Al said, Ed looked over at him. He turned to Melody, "She looks like she can take it, too." Melody's smile turned into a toothy grin.

"Yeah, I'm tougher that you'd like to think, Edward." She said, and Ed let out a sigh.

* * *

Armstrong raised his fist in the air and brought it down fast, cutting a log down into perfectly shaped tri-angular pieces. "I saw that your firewood was a little low Mrs. Rockbell." He said, carrying in the cut up logs.

"Thank you that's nice." Pinako said, looking up from her work, "But you know you're free to relax, too, while you're staying with us."

"I appreciate that ma'am, but no. Daily training is essential for a soldier." He replied, he looked around the room, "Do you know where Edward or Melody is? I haven't seen the two for a while and that makes me nervous."

"Ed said he was going to visit his mother's grave, I believe. And Melody said she was going with him." Pinako said, getting back to the auto-mail leg in front of her.

"Hm, I told them it was dangerous to venture out by themselves. They need to stop taking these risks." He said.

"Don't worry, they're not alone." Pinako said turning to him, "They've got the best escort is Resembool with them."

* * *

Edward, Melody, and Den walked beside green fields as they headed toward the grave of Edward's mother. They happened to pass by a man and his son working in those fields who happened to know Ed.

"Huh! Edward Elric is that actually you?" The boy asked, Edward smiled and walked over, Melody and Den following.

"Yeah, it's been a while, huh?" He asked.

"I'll say." The man said, "It's been four or five years, right? Yet you're just as puny as ever."

"Don't call me puny." Ed snapped, earning a laugh from the boy.

"Ah don't mind him." He said, "So, are you still one of those State whatever-they're-called?"

"I sure am." He said, the smile returning to his face.

"Well, you be careful." He said, "That must be a dangerous job, you being puny an' all."

"Would you stop calling me puny!?!?" He yelled, earning a round of laughs from everyone. Melody's laugh apparently caught the boy's attention, because he stared at her.

"And who might this be, Ed? Your girlfriend, I bet." He said, Edward and Melody turned six shades of red, shouting things at the same time.

"She's not my girlfriend!!"

"I'm not his girlfriend!!" Both of them were pretty flustered. Getting a laugh from the old man.

"Well, Ed, if she's not yours…" He held his hand out to her, "What's your name, pretty lady?" He asked, Melody's blush went from flustered to shy.

"Um, Melody…" She said, taking his hand, but instead of shaking her hand, he kissed it, making her blush grow deeper.

"Enchante, Melody." He said, looking up at her, eyes slightly glazed. She gave a flustered smile.

"Goodness! You certainly know how to make a girl feel welcome!" She said as he released her hand. The man's hand went over his boy's shoulder.

"Be careful about this one, Miss, he's a regular heart-breaker." He said, the boy turned around to face him.

"Dad!" He exclaimed.

"Hey, it's true." His father shrugged. Ed laughed as did Melody.

"See ya around!" Ed said as he and Melody kept walking.

* * *

Edward stood in front of his mother's grave. And he was reminded of how the last time he stood here, he made a foolish mistake.

_Al squatted down in front of his mother's grave, next to Edward._

"_How are we gonna live without her?" Al whimpered as he stared at his mother's gravestone._

"_We're not Al." Ed said, "We're going to bring her back.:_

"Ed~. Yoo-hoo." He saw a hand waving in front of his face, and blinked. He looked over to its owner. "I think the rest of us are ready to go back." She said. By 'the rest of us,' she had meant her and Den. "It's close to dinnertime and I'm starting to get hungry." She said sheepishly. Ed smiled back.

"Alright, let's head back." He said, Melody smiled.

* * *

As the two of them headed back, the dim, red light of twilight on them as they walked. Melody looked over at Ed, who was walking solemnly in the silence between them.

"Hey, Edward?" She said, getting his attention, "I'm curious, could you tell me what your mom was like?" He looked over at her, surprised, but then he gave her a sad smile.

"Like every mother should be." He said, "Loving, caring, supportive, always there for us when we needed her, no matter what she was doing before then." Melody smiled. "She was the greatest…"

"Can I ask how she died?" She asked, Edward let out a sigh.

"She got sick, and it kept getting worse over time." He said, "I watched her die, too. She went peacefully, and I'm glad about that." Melody nodded her head.

"That's good. I mean, not that she died, but when she did die, she went peacefully." She said. Edward looked over at her.

"What about your mom? What's she like?" He asked, Melody took a deep breath and looked up into the sky for a minute before answering.

"She's… She's a farmer, like I said before. She loves to garden, and she loves me and my little brother with all her heart. She's like your mom in some sense, loving, caring, and supportive. She wasn't always there, though. When dad died, she locked herself up from us for a while. So I comforted Lou, and he comforted me. But, other than that, she's like your mom." She said, smiling at the feeling of reminiscence. She turned to him, "Do you think all moms are the same, deep down?" She asked, Ed looked at her, and smiled.

"Yeah, probably." He said, Melody smiled and they continued to talk about various things, sharing funny stories about their little brothers, about themselves, telling their likes and dislikes. Melody thought it was hilarious when she found out Ed hated milk. "Why's that so funny?" He asked, Melody kept giggling a little.

"Because, I drank a lot of milk when I was little and look what happened!" She pointed out the fact that she was 5'7" and Ed was 5'4". "It explains why you're so short!" Ed snapped at her and chased her some of the way to the Rockbell house. She was laughing like crazy the whole way, and soon enough, Ed laughed along with her. And instead of Ed chasing her so he could strangle her, now it was a fun game of 'catch me if you can!' They were about a hundred feet from the house before Ed tackled Melody to the ground.

"Ah! Hey! No fair!" She squealed as she tried to squirm away from him, then they started playfully wrestling one another. Eventually it got to where Ed had pinned her down, holding both her hands over her head, his legs straddling over her stomach, neither of them noticed, though.

When Melody finally stopped trying to break out of Ed's iron grip, he leaned down, his face close to hers, giving a playful smirk panting out "I win." Melody giggled, and soon Ed chuckled with her. Then it broke out into full out laughing, both of them on their backs, laughing like maniacs. "What are we laughing for?" Edward asked as the crazy laughter had died down some, now they were just chuckling.

"Easy. We're laughing because we're happy." She said, lying on her stomach, looking at Ed with a smile on her face. "That or we are _seriously_ messed up!" She and Ed laughed some more before getting up and heading inside for some dinner.


	6. Chapter 6

I own nothing! By the way, the song is 'Fly me to the moon' by Frank Sinatra.

6

Melody looked out the window of the Rockbell house to see it filled with stars. Edward's leg was getting measured by Winry at the time, and as she finished, she saw a chain of something being connected from Ed's belt into his pocket.

"Is that the watch they give you?" She asked.

"Yeah," He said, reaching in and getting it. "It's got amplifiers that boost your transmutation--"

"Can I see!?" Winry practically squealed with delight as she looked over Ed's watch, Melody made a mental note at how much Winry loves mechanics. "The loving workmanship! The detail! Now this is the work of a craftsman! How's it run? Do you wind it? Or is it self-wound? Or could it possibly be a new technique!?"

"I don't know." Ed said, a content look on his face, "And as long as it's functioning, I don't care." Winry still held the watch in her hands.

"Can I see how it works, Ed? Please?" She practically begged him.

"Are you crazy? I know how you get when you have your hands on mechanics," Edward swiped his watch back, "You'll take it apart to the last screw." Winry let out an audible 'Awww…'

"So what if I do? I'll put it back together, and it'll work just fine. You know I'm the greatest mechanic on the planet, Ed, right?" She sped through her words.

"Get somebody else's." He said, and another 'Awww…' came out from Winry. She turned and made the biggest eyes toward Major Armstrong so she could take his watch apart. He instantly stiffened, and started sweating.

"I think I'll go chop about a years worth of firewood. Yes." He said, and walked off.

Winry made the same face at Melody, who only responded with a "What?"

"Well, I wanna see how you're alchemist watch works, Mel. So can I see it? Please, please, please, please, please?" She said, Melody instinctively put a hand over the pocket her watch was in and freaked out.

"Absolutely not!!" She yelled. Winry made a pouting face.

"Boy, you guys are stingy, aren't you?" She said, Melody let out a sigh.

"No Winry, it's not that." She said, Winry looked at her with a confused look. She pulled out her watch so she could see that it wasn't the same state watch. "This isn't an alchemist's watch. It's a watch that belonged to my dad, and he left it to me in his will. If I was an alchemist and I got into the state, though, I'd let you see it, if that's any consolation. (She learned about the State and their alchemists on the train ride over to Resembool from Armstrong.) Anyway, if Armstrong asks where I am, tell him I'm outside getting a better look at the sky." Winry nodded, and Melody went through the door to the outside porch to gaze at the beautiful sky.

* * *

Al stared out the bedroom window, looking at the sky and the stars.

"Al!" He turned to see his brother walking in. "I talked to Pinako, she said my arm's gonna be ready tomorrow. And I'm gonna fix you, first thing I do! Things are finally lookin' up." Ed sat down on the bed across from him.

"That's good." He said, Edward noticed how sad his little brother's voice sounded. "Brother, did I ever have friends?" He asked.

"What? That's an out-of-the-blue question." Ed replied.

"I don't remember any of them. I try to, but it's hazy. They don't have faces." Al said solemnly.

"You know how memories work." Ed said, shrugging, "You've had a lot of new experiences and they just pile up. It's natural for old memories to fade a little." Al looked at him for a second, then looked away.

"There's something wrong with me." He said his voice shaky. Ed didn't know what to say. So a small quiet followed Al's last statement. Neither of them were aware of the fact that Major Armstrong was listening in on their conversation.

"So listen, Al." Ed said, Al turned his attention to his older brother, "There's this thing, see. There's something I've been meaning to tell you for a long time now, but I've been kinda scared, I guess, at what your reaction would be."

"What?" Al asked. Ed clenched his fist.

"Dammit… It's just…" He kept trailing off.

"Tell me." Al said in a more demanding voice.

"…No, it's nothing. Forget it." Ed said, putting his head down.

"Brother, tell me." Al said, but their conversation was interrupted by Armstrong coming in and holding the broken off door in one hand.

"Gentlemen, look up at the sky!" He said, "This night gives us a bounty of gifts, like a blanket of shimmering, brilliant jewels. It's a majesty that cannot be witnessed in the city. It's haze in electric light." He put his hands on both boys' shoulders. "This is an amazing place you're from, this quiet little village in Resembool. In exchange for it's bareness it has much the city does not. You lose yourself in the sky." All three of them looked out the window to see the Milky Way's gigantic cluster of stars shining brilliantly in the night.

Ed smiled, "Years ago, we used to look up at the stars every night, didn't we, Al?"

"Yeah, and dream." Al said. Then they heard a sound they pricked their ears up to. It was the sound of someone's voice.

"Major, could you open the window?" Ed asked, and he complied. The words the voice was making suddenly became clearer. It was a girl, and she was singing a song they had never heard before.

_Fly me to the moon,_

_Let me play~ among the stars._

_Let me see what spring is like on_

_Jupiter and Mars._

_In other words;_

_Hold my hand._

_In other words;_

_Baby, kiss me._

"Whose voice is that?" Al asked the other two. Ed shook his head.

"I dunno…" He said, still listening to the voice.

_Fill my heart with song and_

_Let me sing forever more._

_You are all I long for,_

_All I worship,_

_And adore._

_In other words; _

_Please be true._

_In other words;_

_I love you._

"I think I might have figured out where it's coming from." Ed said as he listened, "I'm gonna go see who it is!" He ran out of the room and outside.

_Fill my heart with song_

_Let me sing for~ever more._

_You are all I long for,_

_All I worship_

_And adore._

Ed ran outside and found a way to climb up on the roof from the second story balcony. He quickly grabbed onto a pole and climbed up.

_In other words;_

_Please be true~!_

He pulled himself up, he was almost there, whoever was singing was on the roof, he was certain of it!

_In other words…_

_In other words…!_

He pulled his head up, he was so close! He looked and saw Melody standing on the roof, holding her hand to her chest as she sang the final words to the song.

_I~…_

_Love~…_

_You!_

He tried to climb up to her, but his foot slipped on the post, and she turned around, fear wide in her eyes. He saw the moonlight glow against her pale skin, and how the star's reflection in her eyes made them sparkle. Her face flushed, and she covered her mouth with her hands, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Melody! Wait!" He called, but she just ran to the other side of the house and jumped off, "No!" He heard her thud, and a few seconds later, her footsteps, running back into the house. "Melody!" He called for her again before she went inside. He jumped down from the balcony and ran in after her, "Wait! Please!" She ran to the room the Rockbells had been gracious enough to have given her. She slammed the door shut and locked it. Edward knocked on the door. "Mel, come on, open up." He said, he didn't hear anything.

Melody didn't dare open the door to Edward. She never felt so embarrassed, before! Someone had caught her singing, and she had never sang in front of someone before, she couldn't. She felt her face burn with her blush, she didn't shed any tears, but she still felt so humiliated!

"Melody, come on. Open the door." Edward said, Melody sat on the bed she was given, she didn't move. "I just… I wanted to… to tell you… that you have a really beautiful voice." He said, Melody felt her blush deepen. "You're a great singer. I never thought you had it in you." She shut her eyes tight. Edward wasn't getting any response, so he sighed and returned to his room. His eyes met Armstrong as soon as he got in there.

"I suppose I should tell you, Miss Melody isn't very used to flattery." He said. "I assume she ran once she found out you had heard her." Ed looked up at him

"Yeah, what makes you say she's not used to flattery?" He asked, Armstrong sighed.

"Only if you don't mention it in front of her, she was very clear about having no one told." He said, Ed nodded and took his previous spot across from Al. "When you had gone to look for your younger brother back at the station, we had gone in search of you. Soon, she got hungry, and we stopped at a restaurant for some food--"

"It wasn't my suggestion we stop, Armstrong." They looked over to see Melody leaning in the doorway, "And I thought I told you not to tell anyone about that." She said, getting up and walking over to wear they were sitting. "I specifically told you not to tell Ed, or Al, or anyone."

"What'd you do? Kill somebody?" Ed asked jokingly. Melody stuck her tongue out at him.

"Quite the opposite actually. She saved somebody." Armstrong said, Melody flinched.

"Major Armstrong!!" Ed looked up at her surprised, as did Al.

"You saved somebody? Like before with us and Scar?" Ed asked, Melody blushed and looked away.

"You can go ahead and tell them," She said before walking back to her room, "Just don't do it while I'm in the room." Armstrong nodded as she headed out and proceeded to tell the two boys about their small adventure back in the restaurant at their last stop.

* * *

Ed's face was filled with dread as Winry and Pinako were getting his auto-mail ready to be attached. "Yeah, right. Connecting to each of my nerves, I can't get enough." He muttered.

"Stop complaining, baby." Winry said, "You wanna hurry and get back to central, don't you?"

"You got that right. This is just more motivation," Ed replied, "I can't wait 'till I get my body back to pure grade flesh and bone." Melody sat in between Armstrong and Al, her elbows resting on her knees, and her face resting in her fists. She figured auto-mail was complicated, but connecting to each nerve? That can't be good.

"Well, that's going to be a real disappointment for us." Pinako said, "We make a killing off of you."

"Seriously, Ed. Why go to all this trouble for human limbs?" Winry asked, "You've got the smell of oil, the creak of synthetic muscles, the hum of spinning bearings! Who needs natural when you've got auto-mail?" Ed smirked.

"Loser machine junkie." He laughed.

"Alchemy freak!" She shot back. Melody and Al all sweat dropped, Armstrong only smiled.

"Okay, we're ready." Pinako said, her hand on a small lever on the auto-mail. "One."

"Two." Winry counted after her.

"Three!" They both switched the levers connecting the nerves. Ed's teeth were clenched, and his fists were shut tight. Melody saw him grunting in pain, figuring he wasn't screaming because Al and Armstrong were here.

"You three get up." Pinako commanded them, "We're going to lay him down right there. We could use some help!" Melody and Armstrong got up to get out of their way.

* * *

Armstrong sat at a table with Pinako and Melody, all of them we're waiting for Ed to wake up. "I had no idea attaching auto-mail was so painful." Armstrong said.

"We've seen some of the most hardened war heroes scream like children." Pinako said, putting down her cup of tea. "It's no small matter." She said, looking at the door of the room they just left. Melody looked over at it, too.

"Makes you want to have regular prosthetics if you're ever unfortunate enough to lose your limbs." She said, "Although it does look pretty cool." Pinako chuckled.

"Yes, it may look cool, but it's a very painful process and auto-mail lasts a lot longer than regular prosthetics." She said, looking at Melody. She just stared at the door. "So Melody." She said, getting her attention, "I was wondering how you came across those two boys. You're no alchemist; I can tell that much just from looking at you, do those boys owe some kind of debt to you?" Melody shook her head.

"No, we just happen to be in similar situations." She said, turning back around.

"And what situation would that be?" Pinako asked, Melody looked up at her, then softly smiled.

"I know how much you worry about those boys, Miss Pinako, and I'm certain you can take this news better than your granddaughter," She said, "But I think those two would prefer it if I left it unsaid." Pinako smiled at her and nodded. "I'm gonna go see if Al's getting lonely." Melody said before standing and walking out the door.

* * *

"Hey, big guy." She said, Al looked over at her. "How you doin'?" She walked over and sat next to him.

"Just fine." Al said, Melody smiled up at him. "How about yourself?"

"A little shaken up, but I'm fine." She said, shrugging. She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her head on them.

"You know, I think I can see why your parents named you Melody." Al said, Melody looked over at him with a confused look, "They knew you would have a beautiful voice when you got older." She blushed and looked away.

"So you heard it too, huh?" She asked, not looking at him.

"You have a wonderful voice, you should be proud." Al said, a smile in his voice. "I don't see why you get so embarrassed. I'm certain a lot of people tell you how nice you sing." Melody looked up at him, a blush still on her cheeks.

"Well, I don't get too many compliments back home Al." She said embarrassed, "If I did, they wouldn't be the kind I'm looking for."

"What do you mean?" Al asked. Melody got flustered.

"Oh! Um… Well, uh… Oh, hey! Is that Ed?" she said as he walked over. Breathing an internal sign of relief.

"How do I look?" He asked smirking.

"How do you feel? That's the question." Al said, looking at his brother stretching his new arm out a little.

"Great. A hundred percent!" He said.

"I'm glad to hear it." Al said, Ed smiled at him.

"Yeah, I bet you are. It means now we can take care of you." Ed said.

"So you're sure this is everything?" Ed asked looking at the pile of steel that had been mostly shredded.

"Mm-hmm. The major and the rest were very careful to pick up every piece of me." Al said. Armstrong leaned down to have a better look.

"Will he be able to move once he's fixed?" He asked, Ed looked over at him.

"Yeah, well you definitely have to know what you're doing." Ed removed Al's head and they all got a good look at the blood seal inside. "See that seal in there?" Armstrong grunted in response. "That's the anchoring point. It's the intermediary between Al's soul and the armor."

"It really was a close call, wasn't it?" Al said, "If that gash had been a little closer in…"

"Right, so no matter what else happens, we gotta guard that better." Ed said, "Without that critical area, Al, there'd be nothing to tie you down." Melody leaned in a little to take a closer look at the red circle.

"Ed, this looks like it was drawn in blood." Melody said looking at it.

"Yeah, that's my blood." Ed said, "I was kind of in a hurry." Melody had a small expression of surprise on her face. Armstrong looked at them for one second before ranting.

"Awe-inspiring! Such a bond! Such a display of brotherly love!!" He said, tears pouring out and striking a pose. Melody, Ed and Al sweat dropped.

"Back up, Major Spazz." Ed told him, putting Al's head back on his shoulders, "You're only getting in the way of the work." Armstrong's admiration instantly came to a stop. Melody backed up a couple steps as Ed brought his hands together, "Here goes." He brought them to Al's chest plate and his blood seal began to glow. He stood up, and surely enough his pieces came together and he looked like himself again. Melody gawked at how tall he actually was. Al stood up on both legs and looked at himself, all complete once again.

"I feel great!" He said, "Thanks brother!" Ed smiled at him.

"Ah, don't mention it." Ed replied, "Should we do our usual routine, now?"

"What does that mean?" Armstrong asked.

"Nothing." Ed said, "Just a little scrimmage between brothers. Our teacher told us a long time ago 'you have to train the body to train the mind.' So we spar once in a while to test our skills." Ed smiled and knocked on his brother's armor, "And I gotta say, in all these years I haven't beaten this tin can once!"

"Is that so?" Armstrong said. Then he took off his shirt and said, "Then allow me to help you in your goal, Edward!!" Ed and Al deadpanned.

"We're okay, but thanks." They said. Melody smirked.

"Hey, if Major Muscle over here is participating, then I want to." She said, the boys flinched.

"What!? No _way_ am I fighting a girl!!" Ed said, Melody's smirk grew bigger.

"Why? Afraid I'll kick your pipsqueak butt?" She sneered. Ed snapped.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A MOUSY LITTLE PIPSQUEAK!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!" He yelled, Melody stuck her tongue out at him.

"You gonna do something about it, _pipsqueak_?" She said, Ed growled and swung his auto-mail arm at her and she dodged.

"Brother!" Al whined. "Be careful!"

"Come on, shorty. That the best you got?" She mocked, Edward grew even angrier. He kept swinging and swinging, and she kept dodging and dodging.

"Stop moving around!! Hold still!!" He yelled. Melody smirked at him.

"If I do, I'm afraid I'll hit you, Eddy." she said playfully. Ed got even angrier.

"Don't call me 'Eddy!!!!!'" He yelled, he swung his auto-mail arm at her and she blocked it with her left hand, took her foot and brought it around to hit his head, Ed used his flesh hand to block it. He smirked, grabbed her foot and pulled it so she would go over his head and flip over, but before she fell, she nabbed Ed's shirt and pulled him down with her.

He let out a yelp of surprise. And they both lay down on the ground, Melody face-up, and Edward face-down. He hovered his face over hers, and she looked up at him, smiling her same smile. Then she started laughing, and soon enough Edward laughed along with her.

"That was fun!" She said, sitting up, "Next time, though, it definitely won't be a tie." Edward laughed as he stood up.

"Got that right," He said offering her his hand, "I'll be the winner next time." Melody snorted and took his hand.

"In your dreams. Just because you tied with me, doesn't mean you'll beat me the next time we brawl." She said, Edward gave her a determined look, and she gave one back. "Now you should probably get back to your regular routine with Al. I'll just watch this time." Ed nodded and Melody went and stood next to Armstrong as they began.

Ed stood across from Al, both of them in fighting positions, "I hope you're ready for this, Al." Edward said before charging at him. Al threw down a punch and Ed dodged, another punch Ed dodged. Ed hit him, but Al blocked it, he tried again, but Al grabbed him and tried to flip him over, Ed did a cartwheel and charged him again. They kept throwing punches, some landing, some blocked. Melody watched from the sidelines, a big smile on her face.

Winry came out and saw the two fighting, and sighed in exasperation. "Hey, now, boys. Don't get carried away and break yourselves again!" She yelled, the brothers ignored her and she went back inside. "Good grief," She muttered, "Talk about one-track minds. They're still a couple of children." She looked over at where Ed's clothes were and saw his watch, sitting there.

* * *

Al threw a punch down on top of Edward and he dodged it. Ed stood on his hands and landed a couple of kicks on Al, before he grabbed his leg and flung him in the air. Melody guffawed in laughter.

"Next up! Me!" Armstrong yelled before tackling Alphonse.

* * *

Winry stared at the little watch and had stars in her eyes. "It'd be a crime against discovery not to find out how this thing ticks!" She ran a finger down the side of it, "The polished form, the curious workmanship!" She nodded in approval, "Clearly the work of a master." She started squirming with excitement, "Custom jobs are so great! I bet it's even better inside! Oh, I wanna take it apart. Oh please, I wanna put it back together again!" She stopped and looked around with a mischievous glint in her eye, "Edward…" When she saw nothing, she pulled out a handful of small tools, "Whoops."

* * *

"You better watch it." Al said, charging the Major. They caught the other's hand and started to push against the other, holding their ground.

"You're strong but your attitude's soft!" Armstrong declared, "You'll never win like this!" Al yelled as Armstrong lifted him up and threw him back down. He grunted as he got back up.

"Brother…?" He turned to Ed.

"Damn…" Ed muttered.

* * *

Winry gaped at the inside of the watch. She had only opened the inside where Ed had carved in 'Don't forget 3, Oct. 10.' "Forget what?" She muttered to herself.

* * *

Armstrong looked over at the Elric brothers who were lying down from his throws. "What's the matter, Elrics? Is that all you've got?" He said, Ed glared at him.

"C'mon Ed! Don't let him talk to you like that!" Melody cheered. Ed and Al got up and charged at him. Al got to him first and they had the same stance as before, but this time Ed slid under Al's legs and kicked one of the Major's feet out from under him. He lost his balance, and Al grabbed him and flipped him over and he landed on the ground. Hard.

Al looked over at his brother and he looked back at him before jumping up in the air in victory, cheering "Yeah! We did it!" And "Alright! I can't believe we did it!" and cheering about how they got him, and praising the other. Melody was cheering right along with them. Armstrong looked up at the sky and chuckled happily.

* * *

Melody walked over to Al as he waited for his brother to finish showering. He looked over at her and she smiled at him. The smile got smaller as she walked around him, inspecting Al. "Something wrong, Melody?" He asked, Melody let out a sigh.

"I'm just hoping I'll get used to seeing you like this." She said, still smiling. "I always saw you without your right arm and leg, remember? And it's really weird now. Mostly because you're so much taller." She said comparing her height to his. Al was a good seven feet up. "Man, now I feel like the pipsqueak." She said, and Al laughed.

"I'm sure you'll get taller." Al said, Melody sighed.

"Yeah, right. By, like, an inch and a half, I've only got one growth spurt left before I start shrinking." She said. "Jeez, I wonder if I'll be as small as Pinako when I turn into an old lady." Al laughed again.

"You certainly know how to make others laugh." Al said, Melody smiled at him.

"Nah, I just know how to make my friends laugh." She said, "Everyone else is a total stick in the mud." She laughed with Al, and she sat down on the ground next to him.

"Melody?" She looked up at him.

"Yeah, Al?" She asked.

"Brother and I are taking the Major to see our old home later, do you wanna come?" He asked, Melody looked up at him for a second before smiling.

"Sounds like a blast, Al. I'd love to." She said. Then she looked over at the pastures. "This place really is beautiful." She said, looking at the view of the small village. "This view makes me miss my old fiddle. What I would give to play it, right now…" She trailed off.

"Fiddle? Oh! You play the violin?" Al asked, Melody nodded.

"Yeah, I started taking lessons when I was little. My dad got me my first violin when I turned six and I've been playing ever since…" She said.

"You really miss your dad, don't you?" He asked, sadness in his voice. She nodded again.

"Of course I miss him." She said her voice cracking slightly, tears welling up in her eyes, "How could I not? He's my dad, I love him. He taught me just about everything I know, he was always there for me, and he always supported me. When he died, I lost something more than just dad, I lost my father, my best friend…" She put her head down, shaking with unshed tears, "How could I not miss him!?" She whimpered. Al put a comforting hand on her back as she cried her eyes out.

"I'm sorry, Melody." Al said, "If it makes you feel any better, me and brother don't have a dad, neither does Winry." Melody looked up at him, tears streaking her face.

"What do you mean? Did her dad leave, too?" She asked, Al shook his head.

"No, he's dead, and so is Winry's mom." He said, Melody sniffed and wiped her eyes. "If anyone understands that kind of loss, it's Winry." Melody sniveled some before looking at Alphonse with a sad smile.

"Thanks, Al. I kinda feel a bit better, now." She said, Al nodded.

"No problem, what are friends for?" He said, Melody kept smiling as she looked over the pastures.

"Yeah, we are friends, aren't we?" She asked.

"Mm-hmm."

* * *

Winry looked out the window at the purple sky, "Where could they have gone?" She turned to Pinako, "Didn't you tell them we were having dinner?"

"You needn't worry about them, Winry. I'm sure they'll be along shortly." Pinako said, "We just need to wait for them to return, like we always have." Winry looked back out the window.

Al, Ed, Armstrong, and Melody stood in front of the remains of a burnt-down home. Melody gawked at what left of the Elric brothers' home. Al walked into it, pointing out everything he said, "This is where the front door was, and the living room. The fireplace was here, we'd start it when it got cold." Al turned and looked at Ed. "You'd always find an excuse so you wouldn't have to chop wood yourself." Al turned back to the charred remains, "Whenever we stayed out too late, mom would flash a lamp from the second-story window. It was bright and it cut through the darkness, all across the hills. And no matter where we were, we could see it, and come running home."

"Yeah, I forgot about that." Ed said, looking at the rubble.

"You boys are fools." Armstrong said.

"Yeah, you _do_ have a home." Melody said, "With a caring family waiting for you." Ed and Al turned around and met the smiles of Melody and the Major. They walked back to the Rockbell home in silence. Al looked up and saw a light.

"Brother, look." He pointed to light flashing from the second story of the Rockbell home. Winry was the one flashing it. Al laughed and started running toward the house, Ed smiled and kept walking.

* * *

The group of four stood outside the Rockbell home. Saying their goodbyes to Winry and Pinako. "Now you boys don't be strangers. You come by and have dinner with us sometime soon. You hear?" Pinako said. Winry's eyes lit up at Ed's words.

"We will," He said, "Home sweet home, right?"

"Thank you, Granny." Alphonse said.

"Yes, your hospitality has been immeasurable." Armstrong said. Melody nodded.

"What they said." She noticed Winry's smile.

"So, you'll come home soon?" She asked a hopeful smile on her face.

"Yeah." Ed replied with a determined look on his face. They walked off to the train station. Al and Melody waving goodbye to them.

"So, where to, now?" Melody asked after a while.

"We're heading to Central." Ed replied. "To find Dr. Marcoh's research." Melody nodded.

"Is Central a big city?" She asked, Ed nodded and she groaned, "After all this peace and quiet, I'm not _ready_ for the big city!" She whined. Al and Armstrong laughed. She mock-glared at them, "Aw, shut-up!"


	7. Chapter 7

7

Ed was the first one off the train, with a huge smile on his face. "Central!" He said, "It's good to be back!" He stretched his arms out with a grunt, "What are we standing around for when the library's waiting for us!" He ran off.

"Brother! Wait for me!" Al said, running after him.

"Come on. What's the big rush, boys?" Major Armstrong asked walking after them, Melody just behind him, "It's not as if the library's going anywhere." Ed turned back to him with that same smile.

"After all this searching, we got our first, solid lead!" Ed said happily, "I can't just sit on my butt now!" He stopped when he saw two military officers in front of him, one a dark-haired female whose hair was boy-short, the other a blonde-haired male with hair that went down to his chin. Both of them were saluting.

"Major Armstrong, sir." The woman said, "We've been sent to meet you here as you requested." The three teens looked up at Armstrong.

"Well done, troops." He said, saluting them back. He turned to the three teenagers, "I need to go directly to HQ and get back to my other duties. From now on, these two will be guarding you." He turned to the two soldiers, "Introduce yourselves."

"Lieutenant Maria Ross, reporting, sir." The woman said.

"And I'm sergeant Denny Block, humbly at your service." The man said.

"It's an honor to meet you, Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, sir!" They said simultaneously. Melody noticed Ed sitting in a corner because they recognized his brother as him.

"Wow! You certainly live up to your name, sir." The man said, "When they say 'Fullmetal alchemist' they really aren't kidding!" Al sweat dropped, as did Melody.

"Uh, you're talking to the wrong guy…" He said, pointing to Edward.

"I'm used to it by now…" Ed muttered. The soldiers got a little flustered.

"Eh? Really? You mean this little guy?" The man asked. He was answered with an angry Ed's 'ehh!?' "Ah, sorry! Sorry, sir! I-it's just, I thought you'd be fuller and m-more metal." He apologized very quickly. Edward let out a groan.

"Shut up!" He yelled standing, "Come on Major, we don't need babysitters anymore, we've both been fully repaired!"

"Sorry, Edward." Armstrong apologized, "I'd avoid it if I could." Lieutenant Ross turned to Ed.

"We've informed the Major that Scar has been spotted around Central again," She said, "And he's specifically targeted you in the past." Edward got a shocked look on his face.

"We have no other choice, Edward." Armstrong said, "You'll just have to put up with it for now." Edward looked down for a minute.

"But you don't need to worry, Fullmetal alchemist." Ross said, "We'll keep you, your brother, and Miss Kilgore safe from harm." she saluted him, as did Block. Melody shuddered.

"I just hope you don't slow me down." Ed said walking away.

"Wait!" Block called after him, "We have a car waiting for you!" Lieutenant Ross had an annoyed look on her face.

"Sorry about my brother." Al said, "He's like that with everyone, don't take it personally." He followed his brother and Melody followed him. She waved back with a friendly smile.

"The boy may not look like much, but he's come through for us on many occasions." Armstrong said, Ross looked up and saw the Major tearing up. "So make sure he finds what he came for." Ross sweat dropped.

"Sir, I'll try, but I'm afraid it's too late for that now." She said, Armstrong looked over at her. "As fate would have it, the library's first branch burned down just last night."

* * *

Ed and Al stood in front of the still smoking remains of the central library. Awe-struck and dumbfounded.

"You gotta be kidding…" Ed muttered.

"Scar's on wanted posters all over town, and several eyewitnesses saw him in the area just before the fire started." Ross said, Ed stooped down to pick up a charred book, only to have it crumble in his hands.

Melody looked at him sadly. "Edward…"

"Our only decent lead," Ed muttered, "Is a pile of ashes…" He clenched his fist with a distressed look on his face.

* * *

"And I'm not just saying this because I'm her father, Roy. Everyone agrees! Seriously, you have to hear the girl! And to think she's only three years old!" Hughes said over the phone, a gigantic smile on his face, "She has the voice of an angel…" He cooed on about his daughter, "That settles it! She's going to be an opera star!"

Mustang's face screamed of exasperation, "Lieutenant Colonel, some of us have _real_ work to do." He said.

"Yeah! I've got loads of it!" Hughes said, "I never know where the hours in the day go. Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"So Hughes." He said, "Think there's a way to use alchemy to send fire through a phone line, torch someone's ear off?"

"I'm not sure _Flame alchemist_, I'll get my people right on it." Hughes said, "There are a couple other reasons that I called you, though, Roy." Hughes said, his voice taking on a more serious tone, "Based on eyewitness accounts, we're now certain that Scar was involved in the fire. But from the looks of things I don't think he acted alone, there's signs of a struggle that got way out of hand."

"And Scar, any sign of what happened to him?" The colonel asked.

"There's evidence of the fight dragging into the sewers. His bloodstained clothes washed up further downstream. We don't know if that means he's dead or just naked." He took a deep breath, "Also, you know that girl you found the other day? The one who saved the Elrics?"

"You mean Melody?" Mustang asked.

"Yeah, that place she said she was from, Frank-len-nee, or whatever. I found another kid that says he's from the same place." Hughes said.

"Is that so?" Mustang asked, "That's certainly interesting. Maybe they know each other."

"I thought the same thing when I heard it. I thought I could bring the two of them together, where is she anyway?" Hughes asked. "Is she still with Fullmetal?"

"Yeah, and they were headed your way last I checked." Mustang said.

"Good to know, on another note, ever since the death of Brigadier General Graun, the rumor mill's been going crazy." He said, "People are saying that you're going to be transferred back to Central, soon. Of course, there are some factions here putting forth the ridiculous notion that _you're_ the one behind these rumors, can you believe that?"

"Hm, that is ridiculous." Mustang replied, "Still, a homecoming in Central," He glanced towards Hawkeye, "It sounds nice."

"Be careful, Roy." Hughes warned, "You've got some enemies here in very high places."

"I'm ready, anytime." Mustang said.

"My advice to you is to make as many friends as you can around here." Hughes said, "Friends who will support you when the time comes. Which is why I make this crucial suggestion," His voice went low, "You find yourself a wife."

"Give it a rest!" Mustang yelled as he slammed the phone down.

"Please, Colonel. Don't take it out on the phone." Hawkeye said to him.

"Come on, sir! Get off the desk!" The woman at the front desk of the phones yelled. He complied with her commands and went up to the dark-haired boy waiting for him next to the desk.

"Well, I got the location on that other Frank-y person I was talking about." He told him.

"For the hundredth time Lieutenant Colonel, it's not 'Frank-y' it's Franklin!!" The boy yelled, his accent thick in his voice.

"You wanna see if you know the girl or not? Come on, we've gotta find Fullmetal." Hughes said, walking off. The boy followed.

"Who, in the name of all that's pure and good, is 'full-metal?'" The boy asked. Hughes smirked at him.

"I'll tell ya on the way, Blood-boy." He said.

* * *

"We've been searching all morning." Said a man with black hair and a pair of glasses, "I'm sorry, but these are the only books we recovered."

"Out of the whole first branch!?" Block asked staring at the two small, book-stuffed boxes. Edward took out a book and cleaned it off to see if it was the book by Marcoh, it wasn't.

"We'll be okay." Al said as Ed grabbed another book.

"I'm sorry officers," A dark skinned woman said, "But I'm not seeing any books by Tim Marcoh in the main building." She closed the small book she was holding. "If they were moved here from the first branch, there'd be a record of it."

"Wait a sec," Edward said, "Is it possible that somebody has it checked out right now?"

"I suppose." She replied, "But the circulation records were destroyed in the fire." Ed sighed.

"Gotcha…" He muttered.

"I guess we're never gonna find that book." Al said.

"If only we could even confirm that Dr. Marcoh's book was even in there last night." Edward said, "That would be a start." Melody turned toward the woman.

"Was anyone else working with you in the library who might know?" Melody asked.

"No, Gerald and I were the only two librarians on staff at the first branch." She said.

"Just two of you?" Melody asked.

"Being restricted to state alchemists, we didn't get too much traffic." She said.

"Last time I was there, I remember a mousy girl with glasses on." Edward said.

"Oh! I know, you're talking about Sheska." She said, "But you must not have been there lately, because she was let go."

"Let go?" Edward repeated.

"She was an odd duck," The man with the glasses said, "Never really fit in around here."

"Yes, she always had her nose in a book." The woman said.

"Really…" Ed muttered.

* * *

Block knocked on the door, then again, then again. "Guess she's not home." He said.

Melody leaned back from the window, "The lights are on inside."

"I'm going in." Edward said grabbing the door handle.

"You can't do that!" Ross yelled at him as he opened the door. The group peeked inside the house. Everyone was shocked about the inside.

"It's nothin' but books in there!" Ed yelled.

"I can't believe someone lives in all that…" Block muttered.

"Excuse me, Miss Sheska! You home!?" Ed yelled, "Sheska!" Melody squinted at the area of books where it piled up unevenly, unlike the rest of the house.

"I don't think she's here." Al said. Listening carefully, they heard somebody whimpering for help.

"Help me… Please… Somebody… Please, help…"

"GAAAAAAAHH!!!!!"

"She's in here somewhere!!" Al yelled.

"I know, just keep digging!!" Ed yelled back. Ross and Melody were both carrying books differently than the way the boys were digging, and they didn't get covered in books.

* * *

After restless work, they finally managed to get Sheska out and gave her some water. "Thank you all so much, really." She said, "They always said I'd probably die with my head in a book, I just never thought they meant it literally…"

"Sheska, you used to work in the library's first branch, isn't that right?" Ed asked.

"That's right!" She said, "Unfortunately they fired me for what they called 'lackluster performance.' I. E. reading instead of doing my work. I needed that job, my mom's sick and I've gotta pay her bills! But, being surrounded by all those books, I couldn't control myself…"

"Sorry to hear that, let me just cut to the chase." Edward said, "Do you happen to remember ever seeing a book by Tim Marcoh while you were working there? It's really important."

"By a 'Tim Marcoh?'" She asked.

"Yeah, it probably would've been a thick, hand-written research journal." Edward said, Sheska got a thoughtful look on her face.

"Let me see here, thick, hand-written research journal… Tim Marcoh…" She muttered, after a small moment of silence she spoke again, "Oh! Yeah, I remember now! It was a leather bound volume, with lots of hand-written pages, very thorough, plenty of detail!"

"And you're sure about that?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, I remember all the books, especially the ones in the back." She said.

"In the back?" Edward said, he brought his head down. "Then it _was _in there, and we'll never get to read it."

"Brother…" Al muttered, the two became considerably miserable, you could see the dark clouds forming over their heads

"Sorry about that, guys." Sheska said, trying to comfort them, "I know how upsetting it can be when you can't find that one book you're looking for. It's a tragic story I'm all too familiar with." _I bet you are,_ Melody thought. "I myself once climbed the heights, and plunged the depths of the highest mountain of books for three days! But still didn't find the elusive tome I was searching for." She started tearing up, "It's tragic, so very tragic." She started crying.

"Don't do that, Sheska, you helped us out." Edward told her, "Thanks to you we know that at least the book really existed in there. And now I think I know what my next move is." Block looked over at him.

"What? You mean it's not totally a lost cause?" He asked.

* * *

Edward stood in front of the remains of the first branch, "I'm gonna transmute the ashes of these books into their original forms." He said

"That would be incredible!" Block exclaimed, "You can really do something like that?"

Ed clapped his hands to perform the transmutation, "Watch and learn." Soon a wind picked up and blew away all of the books ashes.

"Wow, strong wind…" Block muttered, "Is that what I was supposed to be watching for…?" Edward fell to his knees.

"I guess we're just not meant to read it." Al said to him, Ed groaned.

"Actually…" Sheska took a step forward, "If you want, I can reproduce the book for you, no problem." Ed and Al turned to look at her.

"How the heck can you do that!?" Melody asked.

"I've got a photographic memory, see. So I can recreate any book I've ever read." She said, "And since I did read that book while I was working there, in the library…"

"You can do that?" Ed asked, "Then why in the world didn't you say so earlier?"

"Well, because people have always made fun of me for it." She said, "But if I can be of some help…!"

_

* * *

_

_3 days later_

"Alrighty! It's all here!" She said pointing to the entire table filled with notes and paper stacks, "As you can see, it's a pretty long book so it took me three whole days to get it all down on paper!"

"And this… this entire pile is Marcoh's research?" Ed asked, gawking at the piles and piles of paper, "You sure?"

"Yep! Detailed, step-by-step instructions for everything, from appetizing appetizers, to delectable deserts!" She said, "Its Tim Marcoh's 1,000 recipes for making magic in the kitchen!" Everybody gaped at her as she laughed as she laughed.


	8. Chapter 8

8

"One table spoon of sugar, a pinch of salt, a dash of pepper…" Ross read off one of the recipes in the book, "Nothing too magical about this recipe." Block leaned over to Sheska.

"You think maybe you got the wrong author?" He asked, Sheska looked insulted.

"Not a chance!" She said, "I reproduced verbatim what Dr. Marcoh wrote in those journals!" Ross put the stack of paper down.

"It was all for naught, sorry full metal." She said.

"I don't know." He said, smiling, "So Sheska, you're positive that every word's precisely as it was in Dr. Marcoh's version?"

"Oh, yes sir! No doubt about it!" She said.

"Sheska, you really are an amazing talent." Edward said, "Lieutenant, make sure she's properly compensated." He handed her a small slip of paper and his watch before he and Al walked out the door with the journal reproductions. "You'll see a figure there. Go down to the state alchemist treasury and have them take that amount out of my research budget. Al, come on."

"I'm right behind you." Al said, Melody followed after them with the rest of the paper.

"Hey guys! Wait up!" She yelled, running after them.

"But I'm security!" Ross yelled, "Take care of this, Block." She handed him the paper and the watch before running after the three kids.

"I don't get it. What the heck is he going to do with a cook-book?" He asked.

"Bake a cake…?" Sheska muttered. They looked at the piece of paper to see the figure there. "That's a lot of money!!!!!!"

"If he can authorize that kind of expenditure, he must have some reputation!!" Block said.

* * *

"Sir! Wait up!" Ross said, running in front of the three kids, "Where are you going to, now?"

"We're gonna hole up in the Central library's main building for now." Edward said smirking, "After all, they've got the best resources for this kind of work."

"No way." Ross stood her ground, "A library was Scar's last mark and he's still at large. It's impossible for us to protect you in that kind of public venue!"

"Figuring out how to do your job right is your problem, Lieutenant Ross." He said, "Getting the philosopher's stone is _mine_." He walked off.

"Please try to understand." Al said as he followed him, "We finally got a lead." He walked off, Melody came up to her.

"In my opinion, Lieutenant, I don't think there's anything you can do to change these boys' minds." She said, "The philosopher's stone is really important to them, nothing anyone can do or say will change that." She ran after the boys.

* * *

"So these are Marcoh's notes." Ed looked over the pile of papers on the table, "On the surface, they appear to be an ordinary cookbook."

"You really think the secret to the stone is in _here?_" Al asked.

"In a _cookbook?_" Melody asked.

"It does make sense." Ed replied, "Marcoh didn't want just anyone to read it, so he wrote it in code. As for the cookbook disguise, you know what they say, Alchemy was born in the kitchen!" He turned to them, "So now all we have to do is crack this secret language of his, no sweat!" Al nodded.

"Uh, correction. _You two_ will crack this secret language of his, leave me out of it." Melody said, pointing at the boys.

"What? Why are you backing out?" Ed asked, Melody looked over at him.

"I'm not 'backing out' I was never a part of this!" She waved her hand in front of her face, "I don't know the first thing about alchemy. Besides, puzzles were never my thing. I'd feel much better staying out of your way." She said, Al nodded.

"I guess that's okay, you can watch if you want." Al said to her.

"Or nap, or take a walk and get to know this place a little better so I can find my way to the bathroom in less than five minutes." She headed toward the door. "If you need me, you'll have to come find me." She opened it and walked out. Leaving two shrugging brothers.

"Oh well, her loss." Ed said before heading to get books to help them in decoding.

"Miss Kilgore! Where are you going?" Block asked, Melody jumped and whirled around to meet him.

"I prefer to be called by my first name, Sergeant!!" She hissed, he took a step back.

"S-sorry. Where are you going, Miss Melody?" He asked, Melody shrugged.

"Dunno, exploring, I guess." She replied sounding bored, "The Elric boys can have all the fun they want with Dr. Marcoh's cookbook, but I've got better things to do."

"You can't just go off by yourself!" Ross protested, "Scar could still be hunting you down!" Melody smacked her hand into her fist.

"Oh yeah!" She said, "I have to get a new switchblade! Thanks for reminding me, Lieutenant! Now, you'll know where I'll be!" She turned around.

"You wanna go shopping for a new knife?" Block asked, Melody turned around and looked at him as if he were crazy.

"Well, how else am I going to defend myself against unsightly characters that are running around this place?" She said, "It's my favorite way to fight, you can come with if you want, I won't stop you." She turned and started walking away. Block and Ross started getting flustered, Block looked over at Ross who looked back at him with a distressed look on her face.

"You go." She said, "I'll stay here." Block nodded and ran after Melody. It took him a second to catch up.

"Um, do you know where you're going?" He asked, Melody shrugged.

"Not really." She turned to him with a small smile on her face, "But seeing as you're a soldier and all, surely you must know where to buy some good blades." He looked at her, a little confused.

"Well, I know this one store in town that sells knives, but I'm not sure if they'll--" He was cut off by Melody's cheer.

"Great! Let's get a move on, Sergeant! I wanna get there before they close!" She ran to the door.

"Hey! Miss Melody!" Block ran after her.

* * *

"What do you mean I can't buy it!?" Melody growled at the cashier. It had taken a while for Melody and Block to get to this shop, and the cashier was refusing to let her buy the knife she wanted. "I have the money to pay for it!!" The cashier, a big man with a bandana and a handlebar moustache shook his head.

"Sorry, we don't sell knives to kids." He said, Melody growled again.

"I'm no kid! I'm sixteen years old!" She yelled, the man grabbed the knife from her, "Hey!"

"You're a kid in my book, now beat it." He said, Melody glared at him, then calmed herself, she'd have to haggle with this guy.

"Look," She said, "I'm a young girl, as you have obviously noticed, and my father insisted on me knowing how to defend myself against unsavory characters that roam the streets." She looked up at him, "Is there any possible way I can get you to sell that knife to me?" The man shook his head.

"Nope." Melody slumped.

"Damn it." She cursed, she looked over at the sergeant. "I know I'm asking a lot, sir, seeing as you're security and whatever, but can you buy the knife for me?" He looked at her distressed face. He didn't look like it, so she made bambi eyes at him. "Please?" She squeaked out. He looked at her face for a second before sighing.

"I suppose…" Melody squealed and hugged him.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Sergeant!!" Block looked at her for a second. Before he pulled himself out from her grasp and buying the knife for her. She playfully fiddled with the knife as they walked out and headed back to the library.

"I thought you said you had better things to do than wait around in the library?" Block said as they headed back to the library through its halls, Melody flipped herself around and walked backwards so she could see him as she spoke.

"I did, and I just finished those things, so what's the harm in going back to the library and curling up with a good book?" She said, the pants she was wearing were a pair of baggy jeans that were too big for her, it went well with her white t-shirt. They were right in front of the room the Elric brothers were in when she tripped over the back of her pant leg and bumped into someone. She looked up to see a man with a scruffy beard, dark hair, and a pair of glasses. "Whoops, sorry about that Lt. Col." She said, getting up and stuffing her knife in her pocket. He smiled at her.

"Actually, I'm glad I ran into you, I've needed to speak to you, Miss Kilgore." He said, Melody stiffened.

"Call me by first name, please!!" She yelled, she put a hand over her mouth, "Sorry, sir, I didn't mean to yell." He laughed and waved it off.

"Don't worry about it." He said smiling, "Anyway there's someone I want you to meet." Melody quirked an eyebrow. "I want to know whether you know each other or not, he says he's from the same place you are."

"Who, sir?" She asked, Hughes looked around.

"He should be here." He muttered, "Where did that kid get to now?" He turned to look at the corner of the hall he came from, "Hey Blood-boy! Hurry up!" Melody's eyes widened at the sound of the voice that came from beyond the corner.

"Would ya stop callin' me that!? I'm comin'!" He yelled, Melody ran past Hughes and she froze when she saw the boy. He was six feet tall, had dark black hair, grey eyes, and he wore a worn out old black t-shirt. When the boy saw Melody, he stopped running altogether and gawked at the long-haired, green-eyed brunette. There was a moment of silence, Hughes kept glancing between the two, so did Block and Ross. Melody was the first to speak.

"S-Shane…?" She asked softly.

"Mel…?" The boy asked back. Melody got a huge smile on her face.

"SHANE!!!" She yelled.

"MELODY!!!" He yelled back. They ran at each other at full force, the boy, Shane, grabbed her in his arms, spun her around, and embraced her. Melody had tears in her eyes as she held the boy.

"What's with all the noise out here!?" Ed yelled kicking open the doors, he stopped when he saw Melody crying. She looked up at the dark-haired boy, her voice shaky and cracking.

"My God, I thought I would never see you again…" She choked out, the boy pulled her back into an embrace and held her tight.

"I was so worried, Mel…" He muttered, "I can't believe I'm looking at you…" He pulled back and held her face in his hands as her tears streaked down her face. He smiled, "Your hair's gotten longer…" He lightly laughed, his fingers fiddling with the end of her mid-back long hair. Melody laughed back and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"So's yours…" She softly cried into his chest. She laughed again. "It doesn't look half bad…" The boy laughed and held her close.

"What's going on?" Al asked, seeing the display going on outside the room. Melody pulled back and wiped her tears. Hughes turned to him and his brother.

"Easy, I told you about Shane before. Now it's confirmed that they know each other."

* * *

_A while ago_

Ed put his head on the table. "Damn, so much for that whole 'no sweat' business. Get a marker, make a few columns, I thought it'd be easy."

"It'd be a whole lot faster if we could just ask Marcoh." Al said.

"We're tryin' to keep the military out of the loop, here, Al." He said, "Marcoh's in the fuehrer's custody now." The doors opened for the boys to see Hughes.

"Wakey, wakey!" He said, "So how you doin' there boys?"

"Lieutenant Colonel!" Edward got up, "What's the matter? Been too busy to come say hello?"

"It's these damn Scar spottings, lately." Hughes replied, "Got us chasing our own tails." He turned to Al, "So, Al, did you get the full body repair you needed?" Al nodded.

"Yes, sir." He said, "Good as new."

"And twice as shiny if I say so, myself." He joked. A dark haired boy slipped in between the two soldiers standing guard outside. The Lt. Col. Turned and looked at him, "Still as slow as ever, huh Blood-boy?" The boy glared at him.

"How many times are you gonna call me that!?" He yelled, his accent thick in his voice. "I'm really gettin' sick of that name, Hughes!!" He looked at the two brothers sitting at the table, "Who's the tin-man and the shorty?" He asked, Ed's temper flared.

"SHORTY!?!?!?!?!?!" Al restrained his brother as the other kid staggered back.

"Sorry, he doesn't like it when people call him that." Al said apologetically, the boy nodded, weary of the blonde teenager. Hughes put a hand on his shoulder.

"The kid who just tried to maul you is the Fullmetal alchemist, Edward Elric, and the 'tin-man' who saved your life is his younger brother, Alphonse." He told him, the boy nodded, Hughes turned back to the brothers, "Guys, this here is Blood-boy." The boy glared at him and smacked his hand off his shoulder.

"For the millionth time, Hughes! My name is Shane!!" He growled, Hughes still kept his smile on his face.

"Shane what?" He asked, the boy, Shane, sighed.

"Shane Trublood…" He muttered. Hughes laughed and patted his back. Shane glared at him and stepped away. "I really hate that name you came up with for me, you know." Hughes shrugged.

"Shane Trublood?" Ed repeated, Shane looked at him and nodded, then he smiled and held out his hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Elric." He said as they shook hands, "Hughes here has said nothing but good things." Edward smiled.

"Yeah, nice to meet you, too." He said, "So where are you from? Your accent is pretty interesting." Shane pulled back and smiled proudly.

"I was born and raised in Scotland. That's why my accent is the way it is." He said, "And I'm right proud of it!" Ed quirked a brow.

"Scotland? Never heard of it." He said, Shane's smile disappeared.

"Didn't expect you to." He said, "I'm only here to meet this person the Lieutenant Colonel said comes from the same place I do." He pointed his thumb at Hughes.

"I doubt there's anyone here from where ever it is you're from." Ed replied.

"I'm not saying I'm _from_ Scotland, ijit." Shane said, "I'm sayin' I'm from Franklin, Tennessee." Edward's eyes widened.

"Like Melody?" Al asked getting up from his seat, Shane nodded.

"Yeah, this Melody or whatever." Shane said, waving his hand, "I doubt it's the Melody I know, though." He sighed, "She's been missin' for months…"

"Who's the Melody you know?" Al asked, Shane looked up at him. "The one we know is Melody Kilgore." Shane scoffed.

"Kilgore's a pretty common name. And I know a lot of girls who can't wait to get their names changed to something fancy, like Melody." He shrugged, "On the off-chance it _is_ her…" He trailed off.

"What?" Ed asked, bringing him out of his daze.

"Hm?"

"On the off-chance it is her, then what are you going to do?" He asked. Shane shrugged.

"I dunno. Hug 'er, I guess." Edward shrugged back. He soon turned his attention to Lieutenant Ross, who came into the room and saluted the Lieutenant Colonel.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. If there were to be an attack here, we could not ensure the safety of these two, as we've been ordered." She said, "They should return to the command center now."

"I told you, Ross, don't get in my way." Edward hit the desk with his hands. She still continued.

"Lieutenant Colonel, as long as Scar is still at large, security of state alchemists must be a top priority." Shane could see Sergeant Block still by the door, nervously biting his nails. Hughes sighed.

"Sorry, Ed, but I'm afraid Lieutenant Ross does have a point." He said.

"Don't say that." Ed whined.

"But then again, this isn't really my jurisdiction." He said, "Why don't you take it up with Major Armstrong?" The next statements were made simultaneously.

"No please! We really don't have to do that!!" Ross exclaimed.

"No, please! Anybody but Armstrong!" Ed whined. Shane stared at the two.

"Is this Armstrong guy _really_ so bad?" He leaned in and asked Al in a low voice.

Al sweat dropped, "You have no idea…"

"Lieutenant Colonel." Ed addressed Hughes, "We're close to it now, I can feel it." He whispered the next line, "I'm begging."

"Hm, what I'd like to do is give you extra protection, Ed." Hughes said, "But between hunting down Scar, and scrambling to replace the case files that were destroyed in the fire, my men are all completely tied up right now."

"All your case files?" Ed asked, "You mean they were stored in the first branch, too?"

"Yeah," Hughes muttered, "Half of the suspect list, crime scene logs, all of it." Ed smirked.

"You're in luck," He said, "I happen to know someone who can replace those files." Hughes quirked a brow.

"Really?" Ed nodded.

"Her name's Sheska. She has a photographic memory and can remember anything she's ever read in perfect detail." Ed said, "She used to work in the first branch, she can replace all of it. I can take you to her place if you want." Hughes stared at him, "Start up the car, I'll meet you down there." Hughes nodded and left the room. Shane looked over at Edward.

"Mr. Elric." He said, Ed looked over at him, "The girl you met, are you sure she said her name was Melody Kilgore?" Edward nodded.

"Yeah, pretty sure. Hard to forget the name of the person who saved your life." Edward said as he grabbed his jacket. Shane's eyes widened.

"She… She did what…?" Before Ed could answer, Hughes called him.

"Hey Blood-boy! Hurry up!" He yelled, Shane's temper flared as he headed out the door.

"Would ya stop callin' me that!? I'm comin'!!" He yelled.

* * *

_Present time_

Shane held Melody tight, his cheek next to her head as she softly cried into his chest. "God, Mel… I thought you were a goner." Shane said, tears welling at his eyes. Melody nuzzled her face further into his chest. He held her tighter. Ross smiled softly at the reunion between the two, so did Ed, Hughes, and Block. Al would, too, if he could. Melody pulled back and looked into his face. She laughed softly as she wiped the would-be tears from his eyes.

"Don't you start the water-works, too." She told him, "This is emotional enough as it is." Shane laughed softly. "How- How did you get here?"

"I could ask you the same thing! We'll have time for questions on the way over, I'm guessing we're in a bit of a hurry." Shane turned to Hughes, "Right, Lieutenant Colonel?" He shrugged.

"I'd like to see if what Edward said was true." He said. Shane nodded, grabbed Melody by the waist and put her over his shoulder, much to her protest.

"Hey! Put me down, Haggis-brains!!" She squealed as he carried her to the car. "What in the world do you think you're doing!?"

"Taking you to the car." He said, a smile on his face, "Now quit your squirmin' or I'll toss ya in a dumpster, Fiddle-head." Melody continued to squirm.

"You don't have the balls!" She declared. "Put me down, or so-help-me I'll scream rape!!" Shane and rolled his eyes and bounced her a bit. "Hey!"

"_You_ don't have the balls." He said. Melody hit his back.

"I don't have any balls at all, you idiot!" She yelled. "Put me down! I can walk!"

"I prefer it this way." Shane said, Melody slapped the back of his head, "Ow!"

"Moron." Melody muttered. Shane sighed and kept her hefted over his shoulder until he got her down to the car, leaving the entire group sweat dropping.

* * *

"Me!?" Sheska squeaked, "Really!?" The group had just arrived at her house to tell her she still had a job. "Um, I know I wasn't supposed to look through those military records, but I ran out of books to read while I was working there."

"Well, that's what we wanted to hear." Ed turned to Hughes.

"If she can do what you actually say she can, Ed," Hughes said, "that would certainly be a big help for us." He looked over at him.

"She can do it, alright. Trust me." Edward said, "So, what do you say? Does she have the job?"

"Honestly?" Sheska asked, "You mean a weirdo like me, whose only skill is reading, might be able to work for the military?"

"Don't sell yourself short." Melody said smiling at her, "The world needs people who care about something and work really hard at it. You have a gift, Sheska, you should own it. Be proud of yourself." Sheska looked away for a second, then smiled back.

"Thanks, Melody." She turned to the rest of the group, "Alright, I'll take the job, if you want me to." She bowed down low, "Thank you for your consideration." Hughes smiled.

"Sure, you're hired!" He said, "And now that that's all settled, let's get right to work. And you should know, I pay better than Ed." The group started laughing, except for Ross.

"Thank you so much." Sheska said. Ed gave Hughes an expectant and cocky look, and he sighed.

"I guess you win again, Ed." Hughes said, "Now I can free up a couple of additional soldiers to cover the security in the library for you." Ross got a shocked look on her face.

"Wow, Thanks pal." He said, faking a routine, "I wasn't even thinking about that as a possible outcome." Hughes rolled his eyes.

"Right." The sarcasm dripped off his voice. Hughes turned to leave. "Blood-boy, you comin'?" Shane glared at him.

"Would ya stop callin' me that!? It's getting annoying!" He growled, Melody snickered, Shane glared at her, "What's so funny?"

"'Blood-boy?' That's an interesting name," She looked over at Hughes, "Mind if I steal it?" Hughes laughed.

"Help yourself, I think it suits him." He said, Shane glared back at him, partially angry, and partially shocked.

"I sound like a bloody cartoon!" He growled, Melody giggled. Shane looked over at her, his anger dissipated as he stared at her. He turned back to the Lieutenant Colonel with a big grin on his face. "Actually, sir. Is it alright if I stay here for a while? With Mel? We have some serious catching up to do." Hughes looked at him and smirked.

"If you wanted alone time with her, all you had to do was ask." He winked, Melody blushed a bright scarlet, as did Shane.

"She-she's not my girlfriend!!" He yelled. Hughes's smirk got bigger.

"_Suurre_ she's not." He said, Shane and Melody blushed even more.

"Hughes!!!" Shane yelled. Hughes smiled as he opened the door.

"Night everyone! Don't work yourselves too hard!" And out he went, Lieutenant Ross followed him. Melody was still blushing, as was Shane.

"Jeez…" She muttered, "The nerve of that guy…" Alphonse looked over at the two of them. Shane put his hand on Melody's shoulder.

"Hey, can I talk to you?" He asked, Melody looked up at him, about to say something before Shane interrupted her, "In private." Melody shut her mouth and nodded.

"Maybe we can find somewhere in the library." She said, smiling. Shane smiled back, _God I miss that smile_, he thought.


	9. Chapter 9

9

Melody left Ed and Al to continue their research as she led Shane to a quiet spot in the library where there weren't any people. She turned and looked at him, smiling. "So," She began, sitting down on a nearby couch (They were sitting in a lounge area) "What did you want to talk about?" She asked. Shane sat across from her and got a serious look on her face.

"You." He said, Melody was surprised at his seriousness.

"Me?" She squeaked.

"Yes, you." Shane said, "Do you know how much I've missed you Mel? I was worried sick!" She blinked at him.

"What, you think I could just pick up a phone and call home?" She hissed, "In case you haven't noticed, none of these people have even _heard_ of home! What the hell was I supposed to do!" Shane grabbed her hand.

"You could've tried something!" He hissed back, Melody stuck her tongue out at him, "You were gone for five months! Why didn't you try to get back home!" Melody's eyes widened.

"Five months…? T-that's impossible! I've only been here for a few days!" She said, "A week or two at the most!"

"Has it really been that long to you?" He asked, she nodded, "And you didn't once think about home, I assume?" Melody's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"No! Nothing else has been on my mind the past few days!" She said, "I've thought about Mom, and Lou, you, and… Dad…" She whispered the last name. Shane's eyes softened, he leaned closer to her.

"Well, it was five months back home. Your mother sent out a search party." Shane said, holding her hand tighter, "They declared you legally dead after the first month, the police stopped looking for you." He tightened his grip even more, "I didn't though, before I came here, I was searching the world for you… I was in Paris before I was sucked into this place…" He looked away with a small smile on his face. Melody stared at him, eyes wide.

"You were…searching the world for… me…?" She squeaked out, "Why…?"

"Your mother sent me to." Shane said, "She knew my old man had the money to let me, and since she couldn't leave the farm…"

"I see. Wait, she couldn't leave the farm? Why?" She asked, Shane looked up at her.

"When you disappeared, Louis tried to keep your garden going so it would be in one piece when you got home." He said, "Your mother got into it, too. The farm's up and running again, and it's the busiest it's ever been." Melody smiled.

"Really? That's great!" She said, "Oh, I'm so glad! I thought Dad's farm was going to be shut down." She smiled, Shane looked at her in a way she had never seen. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked, Shane shook his head and pulled her into a hug.

"I've just missed you, that's all." He murmured, Melody looked up at him, "Really, I have! I missed your way of looking at things, and I missed your smiles and your jokes." Shane said a smile on his face, "Hoping you were alive was the only thing that kept me goin'." Melody's eyes widened and she pulled him back into the hug. "What?" Shane asked laughing slightly.

"That's just the sweetest thing you've ever told me." She said, Shane quirked an eyebrow.

"What? That I missed you?" Melody shook her head.

"No, that you told me _what_ you missed about me." She nuzzled into his neck, "Nobody ever said that stuff about me before." Shane held her tighter.

"I bet your dad has…" He whispered, he didn't get an answer, he just held her close. Then he realized she was crying, he held her closer and comforted her. Once the comforting was over, she asked questions about home, and he answered. She found out Andrew and Andrea were heading to Harvard Law School together. Louis had his first crush; her mother had a boyfriend, but dumped him, started drinking, and then went to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings all in the course of two months.

Then it was Shane's turn to ask questions, he found out that this world used alchemy instead of physics and Newton's laws. He learned about how she got into the situation of being with them in the military. He learned all about the officers she's met and made friends with. He also learned that Edward and Alphonse were on a quest for the philosopher's stone so they could get their bodies back to normal.

Once they were all caught up, they headed back to the room Ed and Al were studying to relish in some quiet. They exchanged greetings before Melody and Shane sat down on a near-by couch. Shane eventually crashed and fell asleep snoring lightly. Melody had closed her eyes, but didn't fall asleep. She could hear what Block and Ross were saying outside the door.

"They still haven't found what they're looking for, huh?" He yawned, "I haven't the foggiest clue what they're doing in there, but I'd wish they'd give it a rest so we can go home."

"It won't happen." Ross said, "Look, they won't give up until they get what they came for. And we just give them invisible security until they do." Melody frowned. She sounded like she wasn't too happy about what she said. She figured she must not have wanted this to happen.

"Dammit!" Ed yelled, Shane shot up, so did Melody. "I get it now… Why they all call this quest 'The Devil's errand.' Why they either quit their research, or were driven insane by it…"

"Easy…" Al muttered. Ed lowered his voice.

"The secret Al," He said, "The last ingredient of the stone, it's live human beings…" Melody gasped and her eyes went wide, Shane's stare turned hard. "Just when I thought… Just when I thought it was finally within our grasp…" Melody didn't know what to do. Shane put a hand on her shoulder, she buried herself in his side. "…How can this be possible?"

"I don't know…" Al muttered.

"After all this time, years of searching, sacrificing, and this is the answer we get…?" Edward stared at the table, distressed, "The secret ingredient to make a philosopher's stone, the only way to make it work… Live humans, and in vast numbers…"

* * *

Melody looked at some of the books they had in the library, Shane was right next to her. He looked over and saw her eyes looked dull. "What's wrong?" He asked, "You haven't said one smart-ass comment since you woke up this morning." He joked, Melody didn't look at him, she kept skimming book titles.

"There's nothing wrong." She said monotonously, "I'm just a little… distressed, I suppose, about the information about the stone." Shane looked down at her.

"Why do you care?" He asked, "Last I checked, Melody Kilgore didn't give a damn about the goals of others, you just guessed what it was." Melody turned sharply at him with daggers in her eyes.

"Why shouldn't I!" She hissed, "From what I can tell, those boys have been looking for the stone their whole lives. Can you imagine having the answer to the thing you're looking for be something like the sacrifice of human lives! I would be devastated." Shane jumped back a bit.

"Jeez! Sorry!" He said, "I didn't think you cared about those two." Melody looked back to the books.

"I care about those boys as much as I care about you." She said, Shane kept his eyes on her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"I never care about complete strangers," She stated, "But I do care about my friends and family." Shane's face turned into a small frown.

"So… I'm your friend?" he asked, Melody nodded.

"Of course, what else would you be?" She said grabbing a book with a title that interested her. She didn't notice Shane's obvious depression.

"Major, please! Will you wait a minute?" Ross shouted after Armstrong, Melody left the books behind to see Armstrong, Shane followed. "Major Armstrong!" He stopped at the stairs and Ross stopped next to him. "It's just, the boys seem exhausted, sir. They've had a long day, maybe we shouldn't disturb them right now."

"Tired, you say?" Armstrong asked, "Then I'll have to take them to dinner in the mess hall. Nothing like food in the stomach to energize the mind." Ross ran up the stairs after him and stood in front of him.

"No, uh, sir, actually… I think they've already gone to bed for the night." She said, "Why don't I tell them you came by when they wake up in the morning?"

"Very well, Lieutenant." Armstrong said, "I guess we do want those boys to get their rest." He turned and walked back down the stairs, Ross sighed. She turned to look at the top of the stairs with a sad look on her face. Armstrong saw Melody with Shane and came over.

"Miss Melody! It's good to see you again." He said, Melody put a smile on her face and nodded.

"It's good to see you, too, sir." She turned to Shane, "Um, have you two met yet?" Armstrong looked over at the dark-haired boy who looked back at him.

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure." Armstrong held his hand out to him, "I'm Major Alex Louis Armstrong of the Armstrong line." Shane nodded and shook his hand.

"I'm Shane Trublood, sir," He said, "Of the… Uh, Trublood line, I guess." He smiled sheepishly. He flexed his hand as Armstrong let go. "You've got quite the grip there, sir. I'm guessing you've got some serious pecs under that uniform." Armstrong smiled and showed him his muscles.

"Yes I do! Beauty and strength such as mine could only belong to the Armstrong Line!" He started posing, "I am known as the Strong Arm alchemist for a reason!" Shane and Melody sweat dropped.

"A-Apparently so…" Shane muttered, Melody cleared her throat.

"Um, sir? I over heard you saying something about dinner in the mess hall," She said, "Would you mind if we joined you?" Armstrong looked at her.

"Not at all! You can sit with me." Armstrong said walking toward the mess hall, Shane sighed exasperatedly.

"Sounds like a blast…" He whispered to Melody, glad he was able to get her to smile. She playfully pushed him.

"He's a little annoying and overly-dramatic, but he's a good guy." She whispered back. Shane shrugged.

"Say what you will, I'm just gonna try and tune 'im out." He muttered, happy to see she still smiled.

* * *

Shane sighed as Armstrong continued speaking about his family history. He stuffed his mouth full of the pasta he had on his plate. Melody didn't have a whole lot of food on her plate, and she was playing with what little she had, she was starting to worry him. He nudged her and she looked up at him.

"What?" She asked, her eyes as dull as before.

"If you don't start eatin' your food, I'm gonna shove it down your throat." He said, a serious look on his face, Melody sighed and turned back to playing with her food.

"I'm just not that hungry…" She muttered, Armstrong stopped speaking noticing their conversation. "I don't need it shoved down my throat, I'll eat it." Shane swiped her fork from her hands and held it out back to her.

"Then eat it. I wanna see you chew and swallow that food." He said, Melody glared at him, "What, you want me to spoon-feed you or something?" Melody swiped her fork from him, jabbed it into her pasta, and stuffed it into her mouth. Chewing it, and swallowing it.

"There, I ate, happy now?" She asked glaring, Shane glared back at her.

"No, I'll be happy when you stop being so depressed!" He said, "I don't know why you're so upset about something that doesn't concern you!"

"It concerns them! I should have every right to be upset!" She retorted. "Will you just drop it?"

"No, I won't drop it. I'm getting sick of seeing you like this!" Shane said, "Where's the girl I met back home, who actually smiled when someone talked to her? Who didn't give a damn about things that didn't concern her? Who's so tough, she fought a local gang for their turf and only came out with a bruise on her arm and a coupla scratches?" He glared at her glare.

"Nothing's happened to her Shane," She said, "She's right here." She muttered. Going back to playing with her food. Shane sighed.

"I guess I have no other choice then." He said, Melody and Armstrong quirked a brow at his evil smirk, "If I can't _talk_ her out of hiding, I'll just have to _tickle_ her out." Melody gave an exasperated huff.

"Shane, that's got to be the most juvenile, immature thing I've ever heard you-- Ah! No!" She swatted his hand away from her neck. He dove for her stomach and she smirked, trying to hold in her laughter, "AH! Shane! Cut it out! Quit it!" She was full on smiling as he continued, they were drawing some attention, but neither of them cared, "Shane! I'm serious! Ha, ha, ha! Quit!" She squealed out. She was full-on laughing now, and Shane was grinning like an idiot. "Eeek! Ha, ha! Stop! Ha, ha, ha! Quit it!" She grabbed his hands, but they slipped out and she was laughing again, "Stop, Shane! Ha, ha, ha! It hurts, Shane! Quit!" Shane pulled his hands back as she slowly stopped laughing.

She put her hands at her sides and rubbed them, "Jeez. When a girl says stop, you stop, okay Shane?" She muttered, her voice saying she was mad, but her smile said otherwise. "Now my sides are gonna hurt every time I laugh for the rest of the day! You really do have Haggis for brains." She put her fork down in the pasta and ate a huge chunk of it. Shane smiled and put her in a one-arm hug.

"Finally! There's that Fiddle-head I know!" He said, smiling. Melody chuckled and pulled away.

"Yes, I'm smiling now, happy?" She asked, Shane gave her a toothy grin.

"Yes." Melody looked at him with her smile and went back to eating her food.

"Wonderful!" Armstrong exclaimed, the two teenagers jumped, "What a wonderful bond you two share! Truly, love blooms among you!" Shane and Melody blushed a deep shade of scarlet.

"L-love!" She stuttered.

"No, no Major! We're not a couple!" Shane declared, "We're just friends! That's all!" Armstrong looked at the two. "Really! If Mel liked me she would've said something by now!" Armstrong smirked.

"Hmm, it seems neither of you are ready to admit your feelings to the other." The teens became flustered.

"We don't have feelings for each other!" Melody hissed, "Please, Major. Sit down! All these eyes are making me nervous…" Armstrong saw the group of military officers staring at the group. Armstrong cleared his throat and sat back down. Melody let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you, sir." The meal continued the way it had before, only this time, Shane and the Major had started a friendly conversation.

Shane was telling Armstrong about his years growing up in Scotland, and Armstrong talked about his family line. Melody took one last chunk of pasta in her mouth and stood, "Finished already?" Shane asked, Melody nodded.

"I'm heading back to the library if you need me." She said, a small smile on her face. Shane smiled back and started talking again with Major Armstrong. Melody saw Lieutenant Ross getting a tray of food. "Lieutenant?" She turned to look at her, "Are those for the Elrics?" Ross nodded.

"Yes, I thought I'd bring them their dinner." She said, Melody nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, those two haven't come out all day, huh?" Melody said, "Well, let me help you. I've got nothing better to do anyway." Ross smiled at her.

"Thank you, Miss Melody." She said, Melody only smiled back.

* * *

Melody and Ross stood outside the door to the room where Ed and Al were. They stopped when they heard the conversation going on inside, Melody held the tray with the boys' food, and Lieutenant Ross had her hand on the door handle.

"Just face it, Al." Edward said, "It's gonna be this way our whole lives."

"Don't say that." Alphonse said.

"I really thought it was gonna work out, brother." Ed said, "We would find the philosopher's stone and it would all be okay." Melody heard the clanks of Al's armor moving.

"It still will be." Al said, "We'll find the stone, brother. We will, and we'll get our bodies back to normal. And be happy. People say that you're a dog of the military, that you sold your soul to get this far. But that isn't true." Ross took her hand off the handle as she and Melody continued to listen, "And it didn't stop us. And this won't either, we've worked too hard." Melody let out a sigh. Alphonse sounded hopeful, and she hoped he was right. Ross knocked on the door.

"Excuse me, Fullmetal." She said, "Miss Melody brought you some dinner." She opened the door and Melody walked in, with a weak smile on her face as Ross shut the door. She held out the tray.

"Um, you hungry?" She asked, she looked over at Ed, who just turned over on the couch away from her. Her expression saddened a little, "C'mon Ed, I bet you're hungry. You haven't left this room all day." He didn't say anything, Melody sighed and moved some of the papers around on the coffee table and put the tray down. She looked over at Ed, then at Al. She didn't say anything and just sat on one of the nearby beds. Still, nobody moved. "Ed, if you don't eat the food that's on that table, I'm gonna hog-tie you and stuff it down your throat." Edward slowly got up and ate the meal, Melody gave a small smile on her face.

* * *

Shane had come in about a half hour later and sat next to her on the bed. They all stayed in the room, silent. It had been a few hours since dinner, and nobody had said a word. Alphonse had started cleaning up the papers on the table, and Melody had decided to help him. Al paused and stared at the papers he had gathered.

"Brother?" He asked, "…Let's look at it again. From the beginning." Ed curled up slightly.

"I've looked at it enough…" Ed muttered.

"But there's a chance you misread something." Melody said looking over at Ed, "Maybe you got it wrong." Ed curled up even more.

"I said I've had enough." Edward said, more sternly this time. Melody looked over at Shane, who said nothing, but his expression screamed 'stay out of it.'

"But what if our code's wrong? Maybe that's not what it says!" Al said, "Or maybe we missed some key paragraph, like a loophole or something." He held the papers out closer to Edward, "We should read the whole thing again."

"I said, enough!" Ed yelled, he got up and swatted the papers from Al's hands, but he also hit a cup that smashed against his face. Edward stood still as the papers fell to the ground, Melody stood up. There was a long second of silence before anyone said anything.

"Brother…?" Al asked, his voice cracking. It sounded like he was about to cry. The door opened and Ross and Block walked in.

"Is something wrong, sir?" Ross asked, she stopped seeing the paper scattered on the floor.

"It's just a broken cup." Ed muttered, "Back in the hall." He went back to his previous position on the couch, "Sorry, Al."

"Yeah…" Al muttered, Melody saw Ross bend down and start picking up the papers she and Al had dropped. Melody bent down and started picking them up, too.

"So, Ed, that's really the end of it?" Ross asked, everyone but Ed looked over at her, "You won't regret it, then? Giving up before you're finished?" She stood up and went over to the papers on the table. Melody got up and started helping, as did Al. "That's interesting, I didn't realize what you were searching for was so incidental, you could abandon it this easily."

"Stop going on like you know what you're talking about." Ed muttered, Melody looked over at him, her face saddened. "You don't know anything." Ross took all the papers she had gathered up and tapped them against the table.

"Wrong, Ed." She said, "I know what you boys are looking for is the philosopher's stone." Everyone looked over at her, "And I know it's created by sacrificing human lives." Ed jumped up and looked at her, she didn't look back at him, "I know it was uncalled for, but I was listening through the door." Ed glared and lay back down.

"Well, if you eavesdrop, then you must know it's pointless to chase after it now," Edward said, "Leave us alone." Melody looked over at him and sighed, taking the papers Ross handed her.

"You really are a child, aren't you?" Ed jumped up and glared at her, Shane looked over at her with a look of shock at her statement, "You're scared of it. That all the answers will disappear." Ed's glare turned to a look of surprise, Melody looked straight in his eyes, "You're afraid that you might have to admit that everything you've done was wasted effort." Ed went back to glaring, but it wasn't intimidating her, "Am I wrong?" Ed looked down for a second, then he put his hand to his face, his breath shaking. Melody got up and sat next to him.

"It's okay to feel lost, and not have reasons." She said still holding the papers, Ed looked up at her, "Figuring out whether Dr. Marcoh's research is the truth or not is worth something in itself if you ask me. From what I understand, what you're looking for is a lot bigger than you or Al." She smiled at him softly, "Why don't you try searching a little longer, Ed." She held the papers out to him, "But without worries about the final result." Ed took the papers from her and looked at them. Al looked over at his brother.

"You're right, it's like a book." Edward said, "Just because you're mad and stop reading, doesn't change the way it ends."

"That's right." Al said, Edward stood up.

"We've had road blocks, and we've conquered them all." He said, "I'll be damned if we stop halfway." He looked over at his brother, "We'll take this all the way to the finish! Let's do this, Al!"

"Right!" Al said. Ross exhaled happily, and Melody smiled, happy she got through to Ed. Shane was smiling, too, at the fact that his best friend could always cheer up her friends or anyone else who needed it.

* * *

Melody sat down next to Shane on the bed as they all conversed about what to do. "Dr. Marcoh's research is sound in theory," Ed said, "But even with the inclusion of humans in the forging process, it still never made a perfect philosopher's stone."

"So there still might be other methods?" Shane asked.

"Right, but let's check his method, first." Edward replied. "I wanna see the truth of it with my own eyes." His eyes lit up, "Wait a second…" He pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and opened it up, it said 'National Central Library 1st branch.' on the top half, and it said 'the genuine truth behind truths' on the bottom half. "Truth… Bottom of the page, like an afterthought…" Melody quirked an eyebrow at his words. "The genuine truth… _Behind _truths… Of course! He was saying there was still something more!"

Block laid out a map of Central on the coffee table as everyone huddled around it. "According to his data, it takes a huge amount of refining equipment to make a stone, you'd need a massive facility." Edward said, "Like a whole complex."

"Well, there are currently four alchemic laboratories under the military's watch." Block said, "They're all pretty big. I know Dr. Marcoh was assigned here," he pointed to a spot on the map, "at the third lab." Edward shook his head.

"No, I already went to all four labs in the city," Edward said, "And there wasn't anything remarkable going on, just a lot of fast-talking bureaucrats." Melody looked at the map and saw another area that was highlighted the same way the other four labs were.

"Hey, what about this?" She asked, pointing to it.

"Oh, right." Block said, "There used to be a fifth lab, but they closed it down years ago. It's just an abandoned building now."

"What'd they shut it down for?" Shane asked.

"Apparently, there were structural problems," Block said, "So they made it off-limits."

"That's it." Edward said, everyone looked at him, "Look, there's a prison right next door."

"So they had a spacious lot of federal land." Ross said, "What are you getting at?"

"If people are the key ingredient in a philosopher's stone," Ed looked over at her, "Doesn't it make sense to put a lab in a place where the convenient state controlled supply?"

"You don't mean they used the convicts…" Block trailed off.

"It does make sense, use the condemned prisoners, say they were executed, and use them for experiments." Shane muttered as Ed drew a circle around the lab in red.

" Why not? You couldn't have a cleaner plan." Ed said, "Who was running this laboratory?" Block and Ross exchanged a glance.

"Lab five…" Ross muttered, "That would be Brigadier General Graun."

"And he was killed by Scar, as you're obviously aware." Block said.

"You mean that creep with the X on his face?" She asked, then she shivered, "Man, that guy is somethin' else, and he _so_ owes me a new switchblade." Shane quirked an eyebrow, Melody waved her hand at his expression, "I'll explain later."

"What do you think?" Al asked his brother.

"There's no choice." Ed stood up, "What do you say we go check it out ourselves, Al?" Al stood up after him.

"Sure." He said, Melody stood up after Al.

"Hey, no fair. If you two are going, then so am I," She said, "I'm not gonna miss this."

"Now just hold on a minute." Shane said, "This isn't our area."

"Mr. Trublood is right." Ross said standing up, "From here on out, this is grown-up's work. Besides, as long as Scar's loose, you both are walking targets. You can't afford to stroll around Central."

"Yeah? So what?" Ed asked.

"Let Block and Me be your eyes on the ground." She said, "We'll go to lab five and see if anything's out of the ordinary." She stepped in closer, "If we see anything, we'll give you a full report." She stepped back and bowed slightly, "It's our duty." There was a small moment of silence.

"She has a point." Al said, Edward and Melody looked over at him. Then back at Ross, who still had her head hung low before Ed sighed.

"Alright." Edward said, "I clearly can't argue with you." Ross's face brightened up instantly, "You guys can take care of it." Ross stood up and saluted him. Melody couldn't believe her ears, for as long as she had known him, Ed wouldn't just consent like that!

"Sir, it's the right choice." She said. She and Block left and Melody looked over at Ed, shocked.

"Ed!" He looked over at her. "You're just gonna let them take care of it? Just like that!" He put a smirk on his face. She looked at him a second before smirking back.

"You're terrible." She said, playfully punching him, Ed smiled at her. "Lying to a Lieutenant like that." Ed shrugged.

"You really think I'd just let her?" Ed asked, Melody smiled. "Had you going, didn't I?" She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Meanie." She said, Shane looked between the two.

"You lied!" He asked, "What for? Are ya gonna--?" He looked at Melody's cat-like grin and hit his hand to his forehead, "You're gonna sneak out, aren't you?" Melody grinned.

"Yep, seems like it." She said, Ed grinned.

"Well, I don't care, you're staying here." Shane said putting a hand on her shoulder, "You're not going anywhere." Melody pouted.

"Why not?" She asked, a whine in her undertone, "I wanna see this place, it sounds interesting." She gave a Cheshire cat smirk at him, "Or are you upset because you don't wanna be left alone?" Shane gave a bewildered look. Melody giggled. "You can come with if you want, but I'm _not _staying here while the Elrics go and have all the fun." Shane gave an exasperated sigh.

"No, I'll go and tell you what we find" He said, Melody pouted at him. "I'll give ya a good story when we get back, I promise." Melody closed her eyes and groaned.

"Fine…" She grumbled, "I won't go, but you go in my place and give me all the details, got it?" Shane smiled and nodded.

"You got it." He gave a toothy grin and pointed his thumb at himself, "Have I ever let you down before?" Melody smiled before rolling her eyes.

"No. You haven't." Shane grabbed her shoulders and hugged her close. She hugged back. "Now, get your ass moving." She said seeing Ed had already transmuted the curtain into a rope. "You aren't gonna be left out." Shane laughed, confusing her.

"God, I really missed you." He said, before quickly following Ed and Al out the window, leaving a confused Melody.


	10. Chapter 10

I own nothing!

10

Ed, Shane, and Alphonse snuck around the outside of the fifth laboratory. Ed looked at the door to see a sign that said 'Keep Out.' There weren't any guards around, so they looked at the inside of the front gate to see little black strings reflecting moonlight.

"Are those tripwire alarms?" Al asked quietly. Shane looked at the inside of the gate.

"Sure are." He said.

"For an abandoned facility, the security sure is tight." Edward said.

"It keeps getting more suspicious." Al said.

"Come on, let's try the back." Edward said running off. Al and Shane followed. They came to a wall where barbed wire covered the top. "Al, boost." Al nodded and laced his fingers together, as Ed put his foot in it, Al threw him up.

"Up ya go." He whispered, Shane saw him land on the wire with his left leg and right arm, and crushed it. He unwound it to make a rope for Al. "You're up, Shane." He nodded and followed Ed, after he had made a space for him to land

"I hate to say it, but you can't fight convenience." Ed muttered as he put it down, "It's times like these I'm glad not to have an arm and leg made of flesh and blood."

"Same here." Al said as he grabbed the barbed wire rope and climbed up. The three of them ran along the edges of the wall, looking for a door. They found one, only it was boarded up and covered in barbed wire. "Another barricade."

"Yeah, we'll have to find a more creative way in." Edward said, Shane looked around and saw an air vent.

"Hey, guys." He said, "Up there." He pointed to it. The brothers nodded. Ed stood up on Al's shoulders and removed the grating on the outside.

"Looks like it goes all the way in." Edward said, "Alright guys, you wait here."

"What!" Shane hissed. "You better have details mentally noted when you come outta there!"

"Will you be okay by yourself?" Al asked.

"Okay or not, it's our only choice here." Ed told him, "We're not gonna get your big, metal body through this vent, and Shane's shoulders are too broad to." He crawled in, "Sit tight, I'll be back in a bit." Shane looked over at Al, who seemed to be depressed.

"You know it's not my fault I'm big." Al muttered, Shane sweat dropped.

"Eh, don' worry about it." Shane muttered sitting next to him, "I'm pretty sure there isn't much in there anyway."

* * *

Melody sat on the couch in the room. Before Shane had left, he said he really missed her. She already knew he missed her, she had been gone for a while, to him anyways. _Why did he do that?_ She thought, _I know he said he missed before, the other day, but why would he repeat it? For emphasis or something? It doesn't make any sense, unless…_ It came to her all at once, _He was nervous! His gut must've told him not to go because something was up!_

She stood up from her seat. "His gut is always right," She said to herself, "I gotta go and make sure he's okay!" She turned to the window, but stopped when she heard an alarm going off and gunshots. She ran out of the room to see what it was. She saw a man running back and forth between bookshelves, dodging gunshots. She saw a few bodies of soldiers already lying on the ground, one of the soldiers who was shooting ran out of ammo.

"Hey!" He yelled to the other soldier, "Contact command, tell them we need reinforcements ASAP!" The other soldier nodded, Melody gasped as she saw him be surrounded by red sparks and exploding. The man from before grabbed the other soldier and held him by the neck, he was tired and panting.

"You are not my concern, foot soldier." He said, Melody couldn't recognize his voice, "The Fullmetal, where is he?" Melody ran down the stairs, ready with her switchblade.

"Leave him alone!" She yelled, the man turned to look at her and she froze. It was Scar. He narrowed his eyes.

"You… You're the one from before…" He said, he killed the soldier in one swift move. Melody's eyes began watering with fear. She turned and ran back up the stairs, Scar followed her. He turned back around and destroyed the stairs, and ran back after her to see her shut the door to the room she was staying in. She locked it and headed for the rope outside the window. Scar kicked down the door before she ever got there, she turned around with tear-filled eyes as he grabbed her throat.

"Where's Fullmetal?" Scar demanded, holding her down as she squirmed, tears streaking her face. "You were the alchemist that saved him last time, you know where he is."

"I'm not an alchemist!" Melody yelled, "I don't know the first thing about alchemy! Please, don't kill me!" Scar's eyes widened for a second.

"Don't try to lie to me, you have the watch to prove it." Scar said, more tears streaked down her face.

"No! It's not an alchemist's watch! Please!" She begged. Scar reached into the pocket where the watch was to see a rose instead of the military's insignia. He looked back to see her quivering, "Don't kill me, I can't die yet, please…" More tears came down and Scar loosened his grip.

"Where is Fullmetal?" He asked, Melody shook her head, "You know where he is, tell me!" He stopped when he heard footsteps. Melody was relieved to see Ross and Block.

"Scar! Freeze!" Ross yelled, they started shooting. Scar grabbed Melody by the waist and jumped out the window. He ran off.

"Why are you taking me with you!" Melody yelled as he carried her. "I told you, I'm not an alchemist!"

"You're taking me to Fullmetal." Scar said, Melody glared at him.

"The Hell I am! Let me go!" She froze when he put his right hand over her face.

"Tell me. I don't want to take your life." He ordered, Melody gulped.

"He-he went to lab five!" She yelled, "They're looking for stuff on the philosopher's stone, to find a way around using people in it!" She let out a breath of relief when he removed his hand.

"So, Fullmetal knows the truth now as well, does he?" Scar muttered, Melody didn't hear him. She was too focused on getting rid of what's left of her tears. After about two minutes of straight running, Melody noticed something on Scar's side.

"You're bleeding…" She muttered. Scar glanced down at her and kept running. "Hey, stop! Stop running!" She yelled. She grabbed the end of his jacket and used all her weight to throw him off-balance and fall. Scar lay down in pain, instead of running away she sat him up. "Take off your jacket." She ordered. When Scar didn't do it, she did it herself. She saw the blood was coming off of his shoulder, where a bullet had placed itself in his skin. She sighed and pulled out her knife, Scar grabbed her wrist before she did anything.

"Relax." She said, "I'm not going to kill you, I'm just getting the bullet out." Scar looked at her blue-green eyes and she looked back, "Trust me, I don't have the guts to take a life." He was hesitant, but he released her hand. She positioned the blade in front of the wound. "Now this is gonna hurt, but I need ya to bear with me." She dug it in, Scar grunted in pain, stifling a yell. She quickly twisted it out. She held it in her hands for a second before dropping it on the ground. She reached in her back pocket, where she kept some band-aids and gauze handy incase she got in a fight.

"I need you to take off your shirt so I can bandage you up." She said, unwrapping the gauze. This time, Scar complied. She carefully wrapped it up around his other bandages. She looked at his bandaged abdominal area and went back to work.

"Why are you doing this?" Scar asked, she glanced at him before continuing. "I almost kill you, and you heal me. Why?"

"I may not know how to perform alchemy," Melody said, "but I know it works off of a principle called equivalent exchange. For doing this, I expect something in return from you." She tied up the last of her bandages, "In return for this, I'd like to hear your story." She stood up and stretched.

"My story?" Scar asked, Melody nodded and looked at him.

"Yeah, your story." She said, "The reason you're killing alchemists off. I want to know the whole story including," She pointed at his right arm, "How you got your fancy tattoo." Scar looked at her, saying nothing. She shrugged, "Or not, you'll just owe me some random favor in the future. Your call." Scar stood and looked down at her. He was about six inches taller than her, give or take a little bit.

"You have my gratitude." He said, "But I will tell you nothing about my past." Melody shrugged.

"Fair enough." She said, "But you still owe me." Scar walked toward the location of lab five, and she followed, putting her hands behind her head as she strolled. He gave her a questioning look through his sunglasses. She looked up at him, "I know where you're going, stupid. If you think I'll just let you off because you dropped me, you got another thing comin.' I'm not just gonna let you waltz off to kill Ed, or Shane. I know you won't kill Alphonse. Because you swore on it, but I still worry." Scar turned his line of sight back to the streets, and they moved in silence toward the facility.

* * *

Shane leaned against the wall with Al next to him. "He's sure taking a while." Al said, "What could he be doing?" Shane shrugged.

"Maybe he found a rat to play cards with." Shane said, Al looked over at him, and he looked back, "It was a joke!"

"You have a strange sense of humor." Al said, Shane scowled.

"I was just trying to lighten the mood." He muttered, "It gets boring around here without some smartass making snide comments to keep the others entertained."

"You mean Mel?" Al asked, Shane nodded.

"Yeah, Mel. She's always been a wise-ass, but that wasn't always the best thing." Shane said, "Got her in lots of trouble back home." Shane smirked at the memory of Mel mouthing off to one of the teacher's in school, and how miserable she looked when she got her punishment.

"By the way, Shane," He looked back up at him, "I was wondering, do you like her?" Shane got flustered.

"What? When did I--" A scream from above the two pulled them out of their thoughts, Al and Shane dodged as he hit the ground.

"Nice." The person said, "You move well for a big thing." Shane looked to see it was a man wearing a strange suit of armor carrying two large, sharp knives, "Good."

"Who are you!" Shane demanded.

"_Oooh_. So demanding. I guess I should answer." The man said, "I'm number 66, tho' that's just what they call me at work."

"Number sixty six?" Al repeated.

"Heh, catchy." Shane said, getting into a fighting stance.

"Yes!" The man said, "I have a proper name, too. But if I told you, you'd be so shocked you'd wet yourself! I'll tell you when I'm _peeling your skin!_" The man held up his two knives and charged at them. Al landed a good punch on his face, the man, number 66, fell backwards and landed on his face. Shane playfully nicked Al's shoulder.

"Nice shot!" He said, 66 got up and started running back, mainly at Alphonse.

"Hold still so I can cut you up!" He yelled, putting his knife forward, Al dodged his slices with ease. "Miserable behemoth! You're _smiling _at me, aren't you!" He declared, continuing to try and slice Al. "I'll spill your insides! I'll show you how thinly you slice!" Al kept dodging until his heel hit a rock, where 66 plunged one of his knives into Al's arm. "Now you're frightened!" He raised his other knife high, "I'll carve out a shoulder roast!" At this point Shane decided to enter the fray, he jumped over Alphonse and kicked the face of number 66, sending him sailing backwards. His helmet came off in the fall, Shane noticed he didn't see a head in the armor.

"Nice shot." Al complimented, Shane smirked and nodded.

"Urrgh." 66 growled, "Now you've gone and done it, you brute!" He stood up, revealing no body inside, "You've knocked off my head!" The body-less armor before them stooped down and picked up his head.

"You're empty inside." Al said.

"Yes, that's what they said when they sentenced me." 66 replied in a nonchalant manner. He pointed to the inside of the armor, "And, thanks to the circumstances, it ended up quite literal!" He started bouncing his helmet in his hand, "You don't recognize me like this, do you?"

"You've met this nut-job before?" Shane asked. Al looked over at him.

"No, I don't think so." He looked back over at 66.

"Don't tell me you forgot!" 66 said, sounding genuinely disappointed, "After all, it was thanks to your help catching me that I ended up here, a condemned man. Number 66 was my name on death row," He put his helmet back on, "But back when I was flesh and entrails, I had better names." His eyes glowed as his helmet was put back on, "Barry the Butcher, or my favorite, Barry the Chopper!"

"Barry the Chopper?" Al repeated. "You're the one who kidnapped Winry."

"Sounds like you were a murderer." Shane said, excitement in his voice.

"That's right, and after being caught, imprisoned, and 'executed,'" He said, "I've come back from a pit of fire to take my revenge on _you,_ maggot! Ah, ha, ha! Ah, ha, ha, ha! Ah Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Ah, ha, ha, ha--!"

"Is that so?" Al asked. Shane snickered at 66, or rather, Barry's reaction.

"Is that so! What do you mean is that so!" Barry asked, "People get terrified when a serial killer comes back from the dead! And an empty suit of armor moves on its own!" Barry started acting out his words, "You should be saying 'Aaah!' or 'Aaaah! He doesn't have a body!'" He turned to Alphonse to see him take off his helmet so he could see the empty armor inside. "What's the matter with you! Don't you-- Aaaaah! What's wrong with _your_ body!" Alphonse stuck his helmet back on.

"Take it easy, you're going to hurt my feelings." He said with slight sarcasm.

"Hm," Barry crossed his arms in thought, "Are you an executed prisoner, too?"

"No," Al said, "I'm not a crook."

"I suppose not, no? Why would you have been helping the police? Then who cares where you came from! I know you're weakness now!" Barry pointed his knife at Al, "You better beg for mercy, your life belongs to me! If I destroy the blood seal on your armor, you'll die!"

"Isn't it the same for you?" Shane asked smugly, Barry looked taken aback.

"GAH! But I still have the advantage, you rotten beast!" He yelled, "You don't know where my blood seal is!"

"And you don't know where my seal is either." Al retorted, Barry was shocked again.

"Aaah! Urrrgh!" He started flailing his knife around in the air, "Then I'll just have to chop you up until I find it! And you can't do that because you don't have a knife!" He charged Alphonse again.

"Why do we have to get stuck with the _insane_ serial killer?" Shane asked as Barry charged them. Shane went at him this time, he dodged a few slices at him, one of them landed on his chest leaving a big scar. Barry tried slicing him from the side, Shane flipped to avoid it, only to be hit on the head by the back of Barry's knife when he got up. He fell to the ground, losing consciousness.

"I'll kill you later, boy." Barry said, Shane's eyes went dark. In his unconsciousness, he dreamt of the past. Back to some of the days he spent with Melody when they were kids.

* * *

_Ten years ago_

"Hey, Shane! Wait for me!" the girl shouted. She was Melody at age six. Her hair was a light brown, and it went down to her chin. She wore a pair of blue overalls over a green shirt. She was running down a dirt road after getting off from the school bus and wanted to walk home with the new kid she made friends with.

"Go 'way!" Shane yelled, he was running, he was six and a half, his hair was as dark as it had always been, and he had tears coming out of his eyes. He was running from the girl he thought was his friend. He was also running because all her other friends had made fun of him for the way he talked. He and his family had just moved into town, and his parents had told him to try and make friends, but nobody wanted to _be_ his friend, they just wanted to laugh at him. Melody was faster than him, and she tackled him down.

"Wassa matter?" Melody asked, pinning him down. "You ain't talked to me all day! Watcha cryin' for?" Shane glared at her.

"I ain't cryin'!" He yelled.

"Yes you are." Melody put her finger on his cheek, and brought it up with a small drop. She held it closer to his face to see, "See? Dat's a tear, you're cryin'. Watcha' cryin' for?"

"None of your business!" Shane yelled, he pushed her off, she landed in a pile of mud, covering her overalls. Being a six year old, she knew she was going to get yelled at for wrecking her clothes, so she started to cry. Shane didn't know what to do, so he sat down and cried next to her. About fifteen minutes later, they both calmed down. Shane looked over at her. "W-what're you cryin' for?" He asked, wiping his cheeks. Melody sniffed.

"You made me get my overalls all muddy!" She whined, "Now Momma's gonna yell at me, an' I gotta wear a dress!" Shane stood up and offered her his hand.

"I'm sorry, Melody." He said, "I didn't mean to, I just wanted you offa me." Melody sniffed and took his hand.

"What was you cryin' for?" She asked him as she wiped her nose on her arm.

"I was cryin' 'cause all your friends made fun of me." He said, still holding her hand. "I thought you was gonna, too." Melody smiled and shook her head.

"Nuh-uh. I'd never make fun of you." She said, "You're lotsa fun!"

"Don't you think the way I talk is funny?" Shane asked, Melody nodded.

"Yeah, but the good kinda funny." She said, "I like the way you talk. It's cool!" Shane smiled. "Wanna come home with me? My mommy's gonna have cookies ready when we get there for snack." Shane nodded.

"Yeah, can I call my mommy when we get to your house? She says I can't do anythin' wit out askin' first." Shane asked as they walked down the dirt road to Melody's farm. She nodded.

"Sure! You can use our phone!" She said.

* * *

_Seven years ago_

Melody drew out the last note on her violin. She and Shane sat in the busted up old tree house in the back of Shane's yard. It was there when he moved in, and he got to keep it. Melody was nine, and Shane had turned ten a week ago, Melody's hair was at the top of her shoulders, she wore blue jeans and a blue t-shirt with a black butterfly design on it. Shane wore a grey t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans, his hair was shaggy, and covered his eyes a little. She had brought her violin over and had played 'Rocky Top' on it. Shane clapped for her.

"Wow! Yay! Bravo!" He imitated a crowd for her when she took a bow. She laughed when she stood back up, Shane laughed to. "That was good, Mel, _really_ good. I bet you'll be a pro someday!" Melody smiled at him.

"I sure hope so!" She said, sitting down next to him. "Dad says I'm a prodigy, and I was born to play the violin. I wanna be just as good as he is!" Shane smiled.

"That's good, so you're gonna play the violin when you grow up?" He asked.

"Uh-huh!" She said, "Dad says if I get good enough, I'll make my way to the country music hall of fame when I get older. Just imagine!" She got stars in her eyes, "_My_ picture, right up there with the biggest names in country music _history! _Can't you just see it!" Shane laughed.

"Well, I see a picture of you with a swelled head." he said, Melody smacked his shoulder. "Oh come on! I was just teasin'!" Melody stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm not getting a swelled head, I'm just statin' facts!" She said, Shane laughed again.

"Okay, okay, whatever you say." He said. "Just promise me, when you make it big, you take me in your fancy limo sometime!" Melody stuck her pinky out. Shane locked his pinky with hers, they did a pinky shake, then switched over to a handshake, took the same hands and tapped their foreheads twice, then shook hands once more, then went back to a pinky shake.

"Yeah, I promise." She said. Shane smiled.

"Now we secret shook on it, you can't go back!" He said, Melody smiled.

"Don't worry! I won't!"

* * *

_Four years ago_

Twelve-year-old Shane ran down the dirt road. The rain was making his black T-shirt and grey, long sleeved undershirt stick to his body, but he didn't care, he just had one thought in his mind. _Gotta find Mel. Gotta find Mel._ He came to the gate that opened to her house, he jumped over it and ran to the barn, where he saw an ambulance driving off. There were police cars still outside her family's big red barn. Shane ran past the cars and saw Melody sitting on a hay bale, wrapped up in a black blanket, dried bloodstains covering her shirt.

He ran to her, but was stopped by two pairs of hands. He looked to see the blonde heads of fourteen-year-old Andrew and Andrea holding him back. "Let me go!" Shane yelled, squirming, "She needs me! Let me go!" The twins lifted him up off the ground and carried him outside of the barn.

"Shane, don't." Andrew warned, he put his hands on Shane's shoulders and looked him straight into his dark eyes with his blue ones. "Let the police talk to her first." Shane glared at him.

"No way! Mel needs me!" Shane growled. Andrea put her other hand on his shoulder.

"Shane, she may need you, but you have to understand, this is really bad." She said. "Her dad just died." Shane glared at her.

"You think I don't know that!" He growled, "Look at her! She needs somebody right now!" Andrea sighed.

"Shane--" Her brother interrupted her.

"It's okay, Andy, let him." Andrew said, Andrea looked over at her twin with a shocked face. "The police are done with her anyway, see?" He pointed and they saw the police setting up the tape that said 'CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS.' A police officer patted her back. He said something to her, and she nodded, then he walked away. She looked over at her friends and they saw her tear-filled eyes. Andrew and Andrea released him as he ran over to her and held her in his arms. She cried into his shoulder.

"It's alright, Mel." Shane said, his cheek on the top of her head, slightly rocking her. "It's alright, everything will be fine."

"It's my fault, Shane!" She cried, "It's my fault! I did it! It's my fault!" Shane hugged her tight.

"No, no it's not. It's not your fault, Mel." Shane said soothingly, "Nothing is your fault. Shhh." She stayed there in his arms and cried.

_~Two weeks later~_

"Hey Mel." Shane said as he came into her bedroom. "It's me, I brought you some snacks from my house. My mom made them for your next concert, you're not supposed to know about them until dinner, but I swiped you a couple, want 'em?"

"Not hungry." Mel said monotonously. Shane frowned, he looked over at her desk in her white walled bedroom that was covered in sheet music, her violin case on top of it. Shane picked it up.

"I, uh, haven't heard you play in a while." he said, walking over to her. "How about you play a song? That always cheers you up." Melody didn't look at him as she shook her head.

"What's the point?" She asked, "There's no one who I can follow now. Why bother?" Shane's face saddened and he put the violin down on the bed she sat on. He sat next to her, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Mel, you've been up here for days." he said, "Your mom says you haven't eaten anythin'. That's not good, you have to eat."

"I said I'm not hungry." She said, Shane's grip tightened.

"Mel, look at me." She didn't face him, "Melody Rosa Kilgore, look at me!" She still didn't turn to face him, he cupped her face in his hands and made her look at him.

"Why are you acting like this!" He yelled, "I know your dad died, but you need to look towards the future! You think your dad wanted you to coop yourself in your room! You think he wanted you to stop playing! Think about what he would've wanted Mel! Do you think he ever wanted to see you like this!" Melody's eyes widened, she began to tear up. She let out a sob and buried herself in his chest.

"Shane, I'm sorry! I'm so, so, sorry!" She cried out, Shane held her and gently rubbed her back.

"It's okay, it's okay Mel." He said, "It's alright. Shhh." After about thirty minutes of crying, Shane gave her violin to her, asking she play 'Rocky Top' for him. She wiped her eyes and complied. Playing it at a slow beat, but she was playing nonetheless.


	11. Chapter 11

I do not, and will not ever own Fullmetal alchemist

11

Melody followed Scar as he headed to lab five. The facility was in sight, but neither of them went running towards it. She looked over at Scar, the two had remained silent for a good time now, it was starting to get awkward. She picked up her pace and walked beside him.

"The last time I saw you," She started, "You asked me my name." He looked over at her, "From what I understand, you go by the name of Scar, but what's your real name?" He looked back at the facility.

"I gave up my name a long time ago." He said, Melody sighed.

"Okay, whatever floats your boat." She said, "My name is Melody, Melody Kilgore. If you call me by my last name, though I'll take my knife and stab you to death." Scar didn't say anything. They continued to walk in silence. They came to a spot on a barbed wire wall where it had been removed. The wire hang down like a rope. "They must've come in this way." She muttered. She listened and she heard the sound of metal against metal, she heard voices, too. She took the wire and started to climb, it pierced her skin and she was starting to bleed.

"What's wrong? Something on your mind? Your reactions are slow and clumsy!" A voice said, "It seems an _artificially_ created soul doesn't quite measure up to the real thing!" She peeked over the wall and saw Alphonse fighting someone else in a suit of armor. Alphonse wasn't moving at all. "It must be such a shock to find out who and what you really are!" Al took a step back.

"No!" He looked down at his hand, "You're lying… I'm… I'm… I'm Alphonse Elric!" The other man charged him and smashed him against the wall. It was the same wall she was peeking over and she almost fell from the impact. The other man was laughing.

"Like I said, you can't prove that can you?" He mocked him, "Just accept it, you'll feel better." Scar jumped up on the wall she was on and pulled himself up.

"If that's the truth, then what about you?" Al asked, "What about you!" The man gasped and jumped back. "_You_ have memories from when _you_ were alive. And that means--" He was cut off by something. Alphonse looked at the man in front of him, who was looking at Scar, who was jumping down from the wall. The man laughed.

"How exquisite, the fools keep coming, one by one." he said, Melody jumped off the wall after Scar, "What about me, you ask? It's really quite simple." Melody turned her attention to him as he spoke to Al. "I love to tear the flesh of the living, to kill for the simple, intoxicating pleasure of blood between my fingers! I kill, therefore I am!" The man started charging towards her and Scar, "Whether I'm real, or human doesn't matter! I'm a killer, and that's all I need to know!" He brought down a huge knife to try and slice Scar, but he caught it.

"You're right, there is no need for you to prove you exist, because very soon," He said, "You won't." Melody came out from behind Scar with a smile on her face.

"Hi Al." She said.

"Melody! What're you doing with him?" Al asked. The man turned to Alphonse.

"You know these people?" He started flailing around, "No fair! You didn't say anything about having other allies around!"

"Allies?" Scar repeated.

"Gotcha." The man brought his hand in an attempt to claw him, but Scar used his right arm to destroy the man's arm. The other man fell to the ground, no arm was sticking out of the armor. Melody realized he was like Al, body-less armor. He screamed in shock when he saw it was gone, "What the--! How did you--!"

"So you're in that pitiful body as well." Scar said, he lifted up his sleeve, "May God show you mercy when I send you to him."

"Ah!" The man pointed at Scar's tattoo. "Why is that symbol there on your arm?" Scar glanced down at it.

"Then you've seen it before?" He asked.

"Oooh, you don't have any idea what that is, do you?" The man asked, Melody looked around, the facility was much darker than she had anticipated. No wonder Shane's gut was always right. She saw Shane lying face down on the ground a few feet away. She ran over to him.

"Shane!" She said, she flipped him over and saw he was unconscious. Scar looked down at the man for a second.

"Tell me!" He growled, charging at him. The man leapt up and headed toward the wall. "If you know what this is, tell me now!"

"I see." The man said, "You're just dying to know the truth, aren't you?" He put his hand behind his head. He turned around and started messing with something on the wall. "Well, now… hm, let's see…" The man moved a panel on the wall to reveal a red button. He turned back around at the group, and in a singsong voice he said, "I'm not going to tell you." he pushed the button and a huge explosion went off, Melody covered Shane with her body, while Al did the same to protect Scar.

The man started laughing like a maniac and bounced and twirled around in joy, "This building is loaded with explosives, so I can bury everything anytime I want!" He looked over at Al and Scar. "And now, I must bid you all farewell." He jumped through the debris.

"No wait!" Scar yelled.

"If you want to know about those markings on your arm," He said in the same singsong voice, "You'll have to come in here and _find me!_"

"He got away." Al muttered.

"Get up." Scar said, Al looked down and scrambled away from him.

"Oh! Sorry!" He said, Scar stood up. Melody grunted and got the attention of the two.

"I… could use some help over here…" She said underneath a piece of the stony debris, Scar walked over and pushed it off of her. Melody pushed herself up on her arms and gave Scar a weak smile while her arms shook. "Thanks." He grabbed her arm and pulled her up. She took it away and bent back down to Shane, she lightly smacked his face. "Shane… come on, wake up, sleepy-head…" Shane slowly opened one eye and looked at her.

"Mel…?" He asked weakly, "What-What're you… doin' here?" She smiled at him.

"The library was boring." She said, "I had nothing better to do than come and make sure you and the Elrics were okay." Shane smiled weakly.

"Sounds just like you…" He muttered before laughing a little. Melody laughed with him, she picked him up and leaned him against her with his arm draped over her shoulders. He looked up and saw Scar. "Who's this?"

"This is Scar." Melody said, "The guy's who hunting down all state alchemists." Shane's eyes narrowed.

"The same guy who's trying to kill you?" He asked, Melody shook her head, but he didn't notice.

"Not anymore." She said, she hefted him up. Scar started to walk away into the hole made in the wall.

"Where are you going?" Al asked.

"If you're here, then Fullmetal must be somewhere inside as well." Scar said, he kept walking

"No, stop!" Al said, "Wait for me!" Melody hefted Shane and she followed Al and Scar.

"Well, look at the bright side," She said, Shane looked over at her, "Now you won't have to take mental notes of this place for me. I'll see it for myself." Shane chuckled and lifted himself off her and walked in after Al, she followed. "Hey, Shane!" She whined, "Wait for me!" Shane stopped and let her catch up with him. Then they both ran after the two.

"Hey, uh, I was wondering if you could s-stop hunting down my brother, now." Al asked Scar as the four of them walked down the hall.

"It is the will of Ishbala." Scar said, "He is a cursed alchemist, and if that alone wasn't enough, he seeks the philosopher's stone."

"But why is alchemy so bad?" Al asked, "I mean, you use it, your right arm has a transmutation circle on it, though I've never seen one like it before.

"That is the brand I received when I accepted my calling." Scar said, "To kill all state alchemists." Al stopped walking, as did Shane and Melody, but they did it in confusion.

"And as for the philosopher's stone…" Al said. "He's not looking for it to use as a weapon, he wants to use it to return me to my body." Scar stopped walking when he said this. He sighed.

"You don't know the horror of the philosopher's stone." He said.

"But we do!" Al said, "Legend says that those who get too close to the stone will perish, right? But if we were afraid, we'd never learn anything! Huh… Now that I think about it, I heard that Ishbal was destroyed because someone got too close to the stone."

"Lies!" Scar yelled, he gripped his right arm, "Ishbal didn't perish because of the evil of the stone! It was destroyed by another…" He gripped his arm tighter. His eyes swam with emotion as he remembered something about his past. Melody came up and put her hand on his arm. He looked down at her.

"Scar… We've heard the philosopher's stone…could be made from the flesh and blood of humans." She said, her stare stern, but unwavering, "We came here to fine the truth, because we need to know… If it really is true, then we'll--"

"My, my, my." A voice said, the group looked to see a woman with a voluptuous body and dark hair lean against the entrance to the door in front of them, beside her was a fat, short, beady-eyed man with a crazed grin on his face. "This day is filling up with all sorts of unpleasant interruptions." Shane stepped forward and put his hand on Melody's shoulder.

"Who're you?" He asked.

"You again…" Scar muttered glaring at the woman, "This time, you're gonna tell me why you have that face. My brother's work… did he succeed in bringing you back?" Melody looked over at Scar. Bring her back? That's crazy talk! You can't bring back the dead no matter how hard you try!

"What are you talking about?" She drawled.

"Can I eat them now?" The man asked, Shane's grip on Melody's shoulder tightened. The woman stood up straight.

"I don't know, I think the armored one might give you indigestion." She said with a smug smile.

"I still wanna try." The fat man said, Shane stepped in front Melody now. Glaring at the man who said he wanted to eat them.

"The homunculi." Scar said, Al looked over at him.

"Homunculi…?" He repeated, "They couldn't be…" The woman held out her hand, her fingers turned into long spears. Melody pulled out her switchblade, Shane pulled out a hunting knife with a handle in the shape of a Celtic cross. Al swung a punch at the fat man, who dodged it and tackled him, crashing through the wall. Melody tried to run in after him, but Shane held her back. The woman came and used her spear-like hands against Scar. He blocked it, but his sleeve was torn off, revealing his tattoo.

The fat man charged in the direction of Shane and Scar. He came towards Shane, who took his knife and cut him across the face. It didn't seem to do much, because he came right back. He knocked the two against the wall, he went up to hit Scar, but he stopped his blow and hit his stomach, sending him flying backwards. A cloud of dust came up with his fall. Shane heard footsteps and attempted to cut him again as he came out from the side of the cloud he created. He came at Scar, landed to hits, then head butted him against the wall. He came at Shane, and did the same. Their eyes widened as he charged at them both, smashing through the wall. Scar slipped through a hole in the floor, Shane tried to catch him, but he fell with him instead.

Shane and Scar became unconscious as they hit the floor a story below them. The man walked in to keep fighting, but he looked at where they landed, and his beady eyes went wide with fear. He started shaking, and he muttered, "It's the bad place…" He staggered back out of the room.

Meanwhile, Al and Melody were fighting against the woman, and it had led into the room next to the hall. Al was in a defensive position, as was Melody. The woman smirked, "I've been watching you, child." She said, "The first time I caught a glimpse of you was four years ago," Al's position relaxed a little, "The sky was ablaze with fireworks that night." Al's eyes widened at the memory of seeing her before.

"Who are you?" Al asked, "He called you a… homunculus. But that can't be true." Melody looked up at him.

"Oh, really?" The woman asked, "And why is that?"

"I know I'm killing the mood and all, but what's a homunculus?" Melody asked, still keeping her position.

"A homunculus is an artificially created person." Al said, "A human that's not human, a living doll! No one's ever successfully made one before, it's impossible."

"Oh, it's very possible, believe me." The woman said, "It's no less possible than a boy who has a soul, but not a body to go with it." She extended her fingers and pinned Al against the wall, Melody growled.

"You bitch!" She yelled, the woman extended her fingers again and pinned Melody to the wall a few feet away from Al.

"You really aren't human, are you?" Al asked, Melody struggled against the woman's hold. She didn't notice the beady-eyed fat man come up behind Al. She did notice him when he spoke, however.

"Oh, goody." He said, Melody looked over at him, "Can I eat him now?" Without waiting for an answer, he bit into Al's armor. The armor smoked as he bit off some of Al's arm, like a reaction to acid. Melody froze.

* * *

Melody squirmed around in her ropes, she didn't like being tied with her hands behind her back, she preferred the front. Having them tied behind her was painful, and reminded her of how many times she lost the game 'Uncle.' She looked over at Al. The fat man had eaten all of his limbs, so he just sat there, a useless torso, underneath the woman.

"And where's the scarred man?" She asked the fatty.

"He fell into the bad place." The man said, Melody quirked and eyebrow. The bad place? These creatures had a 'bad place?'

"Really? And the other boy?" She asked.

"Him, too." He said. Melody turned sharply at the two. Did she mean Shane? Was he safe? Was he _alive?_ As long as he was in this 'bad place' Melody figured the homunculi wouldn't go after him.

"That's no big loss." The woman said, "Greed my show up to put a wrench in things any moment. We've gotta get Fullmetal boy to hurry up while we can." Melody glared at the two of them. She grimaced as the man smiled at her.

"The girl, can I eat her? She looks good." Melody's eyes widened in fear. She started to shake.

"You try and I'll hit you where it hurts!" She yelled, the woman shook her head.

"No, you can't eat her. If the armor isn't a valuable tool, then we'll have to use her instead." The woman said. Melody glared at her, how she'd _love_ to send a knife through that skull. Her thoughts were cut short as a huge eruption of something came and rumbled through the walls. She looked up at the ceiling.

"What the hell was that? An explosion?" She asked, the woman sighed.

"Sounds like somebody's getting reckless." She muttered and stood up. "Carry the armor, would you? I'll take care of the girl." She reached down and grabbed Melody's arms roughly.

"Ouch! Careful, Goddammit!" She yelled, the woman glared, raised her hand, and slapped Melody across the face.

"You need to be more careful with your words." The woman said, "I have the power to kill you any time I want, you should be grateful you're still breathing." Melody glared at her before she smirked.

"Sorry, I've always had trouble keeping my thoughts to myself." She muttered, the woman glared and pushed her.

* * *

Melody followed the homunculi down the dimly lit hall. The fat one was dragging Al behind him by his helmet. Melody was behind the woman and she was walking. They were coming up to a door, when Melody heard voices.

"Who are you?" Ed's voice sounded, "What's your name?"

"Well, that depends, I can be whoever you want." Another voice said, she didn't recognize it, "So who would you like, Mr. Fullmetal pipsqueak? Huh? Maybe, a taller version of you?" She heard a growl and a small swish. "My, my. The determined little pipsqueak wants to start a fight. But I don't know, I'm really more of a passivist."

"You should stop calling me a pipsqueak, it puts me in a really bad mood!" There was a clanking sound and Ed's voice stopped. She heard grunts, and the sound of somebody hitting another in a very painful way.

"Just remember that you're the one who started this sparring match, pipsqueak." The voice said, at this point Melody looked into the door and saw a big red room with a gigantic transmutation circle on the floor. There was a big hole in the ceiling, and there was a large group of men sitting on the floor, wearing wooden handcuffs and in prison clothes. She saw Ed laying down on the floor, a pale boy with long green hair stood over him. "Do you have any idea who you're trying to pick a fight with here? Huh?" He kicked Edward on the last word.

"The reason you're still around, the only reason I haven't killed you is that we were told not to. But I can never forgive you." His voice turned from taunting to hating, "And there'll never be a time when I'm able to forgive you. For carrying that _bastard's blood in your veins!_" He raised his foot to stomp on him.

"No, don't!" Melody yelled, the boy stopped and looked at her.

"Melody…?" Ed asked weakly, he saw the brunette with ropes tied around her.

"Envy." The woman came around her and picked up a metal thing, "Don't take it out on him because you failed to screen the ingredients thoroughly enough." The boy, Envy, looked over at her with a bored expression, then he looked over at Melody and smirked. She got scared. Ed looked over at the woman.

"I've seen you…" He muttered.

"If you don't want to suffer any more physical punishment," The woman said, "Then I suggest you get on with the transmutation. We had a minor, unexpected setback, but the ingredients are still fresh." _Ingredients?_ Melody questioned, she looked over to the group of men in prison uniforms. _Wait, you gotta be kidding, _they_'re the ingredients? _Ed looked over at the men.

"You want me to use these convicts to make a philosopher's stone?" He asked. "Was that your plan, you really think I'd take their lives?" The men looked scared, they ran for the door, but was stopped by the fat man dragging Al in.

"I think that you have no choice in the matter, Edward." She said. The fatty flung Al over beside her. Ed's eyes widened.

"Al!" He yelled.

"Brother…" Al said, "These people… they're homunculi…" The woman sat on top of Al again.

"Homunculi…?" Ed's voice was shaky.

"That is correct." A voice said, Melody looked and cringed at where the voice came from. It came from some kind of half human, half monster creature. It had the face of a man, but it was upside down, the rest of it was some kind of brown furry creature, almost like a bear, but its tail and ears said otherwise. It held something in its arms, she saw it was another furry creature, only, this one had the face of a young girl, and she looked lifeless. "These people are indeed homunculi." Its voice was nothing but a whisper, "Perfectly created artificial humans. They've promised to provide me with the secrets for generating a homunculus. So I can, at last, bring my precious Nina back to life." He looked at the girl creature in his arms.

"Why are you even trying to recreate your daughter's body?" Ed asked, his voice still shaking, "When you can't do the same for her soul!"

"But I already have her soul." The creature said, he pointed to his head, "I keep it here. My Nina's indomitable spirit lives on in all my memories of her. I can implant those in the mind of the homunculus, giving birth to a Nina even more perfect than the one who inspired her."

"Memory implants…?" Al repeated, Melody looked over at him.

"It still won't be the real Nina!" Ed shouted, the boy from before kicked him in the face and Ed lay on the ground. The boy squatted down next to him.

"This pointless chit-chat stops here." He said, "So, pipsqueak, why don't you shut up and get to work on the transmutations, now? You can start by fixing the ceiling." Ed scowled and looked away. The woman sighed.

"I'm embarrassed to admit, but our group isn't capable of using alchemy on our own." She said, "We have to rely on others to do it for us."

"If you can't use alchemy, then what's the point?" Ed asked, "What could you possibly do with a philosopher's stone?" The woman didn't reply, "The same as Cornello, huh? Let me guess, you've got a god complex and a desperate need for world domination."

"I wanna become a human." The woman said, "Nothing more." Ed sat up and looked at her.

"If you guys really are homunculi, like you say," Edward said, "There must be an alchemist somewhere who created you. Why don't you get him to do your dirty work for you?" Envy kicked him again, but he didn't fall.

"We weren't _created_ by anyone," He sneered, "We were born."

"Given our limitations, all we could do was leave a trail of breadcrumbs pointing toward the stone." The woman said, "And advise some eager alchemists on how to go about constructing the stone for themselves."

"Wait a second, you mean you're the ones that showed Mugiar what to do with that red water in his mine?" Ed asked, "And when Marcoh was working here in this lab, you must've told him about the secret ingredient! Not to mention Tucker's experiments and Cornello's fake stone, which I guess you were behind too."

"We laid the fake bait and, soon enough, every idiot interested in the stone came flocking." Envy sneered.

"And that's the way we found you boys. You found us." The woman said. Ed's eyes went wide.

"Are you saying that… Me coming here was part of your plan all along?" He asked, the woman said nothing, only smiled smugly, "No, Al and I started this journey three years ago for our own reasons. Of our own free will! And we went through Hell to get here…"

"You're here because that is what we wanted." The woman said. Melody's anger grew as she spoke.

"Edward and Alphonse are nobody's puppets!" She yelled, "Not the state's and most definitely not yours!" Envy looked over at her with a sneer.

"Cheeky brat…" He muttered.

"It's and equivalent exchange." The woman said, "I'm going to tell you everything you need to know to make a philosopher's stone. And in return, you're going to use it to turn all of us into humans."

"And why the Hell… Should I trust you guys?" Ed asked.

"Oh, but you misunderstand me, Fullmetal." She said innocently, "We're not asking." She picked up a metal helmet and opened it to reveal a blood seal inside, "We're telling." Ed looked over at her. "Do you have any idea what will happen to an attached soul," She touched it with her extended finger, "When you do this?" She began scratching it off from the armor.

"Stop it!" Ed yelled, "You can't do that, he's still a human being!"

"Edward Elric…" The voice said weakly, "I want you to--" It was cut off from the woman slicing the armor up. She let it fall to the ground. She took off Al's helmet and put her finger on his blood seal. She placed her finger on it, Al gasped from the contact.

"This won't take long." She said, Melody's anger grew even more.

"No! Please, don't hurt him!" Ed pleaded, "He's my little brother, please don't take him away, I'm begging you!" He sounded like he was about to cry. Melody raised a foot and kicked the woman away from Al.

"You leave him alone!" She yelled, "Al is not some bargaining tool for you to-- Ah!" She fell to the ground as Envy stood over her. He had punched her, hard. Melody could taste blood in her mouth and a bruise was forming on her cheek. Envy squatted and grabbed a painful fistful of her hair.

"Miserable girl. Don't take part in things that don't concern you." He warned, he traced a finger down her cheek, she shivered "It'd be a shame to have some clean-up to do, especially with such a soft skin like yours."

"Guys! It's okay…" Al said, "What am I, after all…?" Melody looked toward him.

"Don't give up on me, now, Al. 'Kay?" Ed clapped his hands and transmuted the ceiling back together. Envy whistled when the transmutation was complete.

The fat man was scaring the prisoners into the array as Ed was setting up the containers of red liquid in the points on the circle. "Brother, no!" Al called, "You can't do this, it's not worth it!" Edward didn't listen as he put the container in place.


	12. Chapter 12

12

Shane followed the scarred man down the hall. "Wait a minute!" He called, "Will you wait for one bloody second!" The man stopped and looked at the dark-haired boy who ran up to him. Shane looked up at him when he stopped, slightly panting. "Melody… My friend, why was she with you? Last I checked, you were out to kill her." He glared up at him. "Why was she alive when she was with you? Explain yourself!" The man turned around and kept walking. "Hey--!"

"I have no want to kill Melody Kilgore." He said, Shane stopped, "A girl with a soul as pure as hers does not deserve to die so young. I spared her life because she isn't an alchemist, and while I was running, even though I had attempted to kill her, she tended to my wounds, as if all was forgiven." Shane started walking behind him, a soft smile on his face.

"Yeah, Mel always had a soft spot for people other than herself." He said, "It makes sense, too. You had no reason to kill her, so she had no reason to let you die from a wound or something." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "She's a strange girl, but she's got a good heart. It's one of the many things I like about her." Scar looked back at the young man.

"One of the many?" He repeated, Shane nodded.

"Yeah, she's not just kind and caring," He said, "She's also strong, and smart. She's beautiful, too." Scar kept looking at him.

"You care for her…" He muttered, Shane nodded again.

"Yeah, that I do, but I don't think she's figured it out yet." He said. They walked in silence for a few moments.

"How much?" Scar asked, Shane looked at him.

"Excuse me?" He asked.

"How much do you care for her?" Scar asked, Shane looked down at the floor.

"I've traveled the ends of the earth to find her." He said, "I've met countless look-alikes, I've been accepted into her family, she was like a sister to me at first. But then she disappeared, and I couldn't stop thinking about her." He looked back up at Scar, "I love her, and if she needed me to, I would die for her." Scar nodded.

"Good. Keep it that way." Scar told him, Shane nodded.

"Of course." He said. Scar stopped and looked through a small window into a red room. Shane stopped when he did and followed his line of eyesight to see Ed putting containers on parts of a transmutation circle. Shane looked and saw Melody tied up, kneeling down beside a limbless Al. He ground his teeth in anger. "Those bastards…!"

"Foolish child," Scar said, referring to Edward, "I should've sent him to his maker when I had my chance." The two listened as things continued on inside.

"That's it, you can do it, kid." A woman said, Shane recognized her and the fat man from before, he didn't recognize the men in prison clothes, or the longhaired boy. "I have faith."

"This is crazy!" Melody yelled at him. The boy hit the back of her head to shut her up. Shane instantly growled. Edward stood before the group of men inside the array, then he closed his eyes and stepped forward. The men backed up in fear.

"Quit doing this, brother!" Al yelled, "Those people, t-they're human!"

"Yeah, and soon you and I will be." The boy said, "So what's your problem?"

"I don't wanna get my body back if it means taking someone else's life!" Al yelled, the boy laughed.

"I thought for sure you and your brother would've gotten the message after your pathetic attempt to bring back momma." He said, Melody's eyes widened, "You gotta spend life to make life. Come on, this is basic alchemy here! Don't kid yourself into thinking there's some way around that, 'cuz there's not. As they say, 'death is the high cost of living.'"

"In order to achieve anything in life, you inevitably have to take it from someone else." The woman said, "That is what any honest adult knows."

"But-but we're not adults!" Melody said, "We're just teenagers!"

"When Edward decided to join up with the state alchemists, he gave up all claims to childhood in exchange for power." She said, "So don't start behaving like a child now, because you can't have it both ways."

"I see now." Ed murmured, "This is the truth behind all truths, huh…?" He clapped his hands and knelt down in front of the circle, ready to transmute. "I promised… I'd get you your body back, no matter what…" He leaned his hand in, but paused. He started to shake as he brought his hand down.

Melody shut her eyes and turned away, "I can't watch…" She muttered, her body shivering. Scar watched Edward very closely. Shane's eyes widened as he watched. Edward was about to put his hand on the circle, but he stopped and put his hand in his lap.

"Sorry… Al…" He brought his head down, "I just can't do it…" Melody looked over at Ed, her face the definition of relief. The boy scoffed and walked over. It was at this point that Scar placed his hand on the wall in front of him and Shane and destroyed it. In the process, he opened a few containers of the red liquid and it spilled onto the floor. Melody looked in the direction it had come from, she almost cried with happiness.

"Shane!" She cried happily. Shane looked over at her, and jumped down from the wall, rushing over to her, and untying her ropes.

"Fullmetal alchemist!" Scar called. Edward looked over at him. "Take your brother and your friends and get out of here!" Ed growled.

"I don't need your help!" He called back.

"Maybe not, but your younger brother needs you." Scar said. Ed stared at him, then smirked.

"Let's go!" Ed yelled, he began to run.

"Oh, no, you're not leaving until you finished what you started!" The woman yelled. Ed stepped into the red liquid, and was suddenly enveloped in a light. He started crying in pain. Everyone stared at him as his arm began to change into a lance-like shape, and he aimed it at the woman. "That's not good." She muttered, "Even though it's unrefined, this much exposure to the stone material could turn the boy into a god!"

Everybody ran as spikes grew out of the floor and pierced the walls. Al, Shane and Melody didn't, though. Al couldn't run, and Melody was held tight by Shane. She looked over at Ed, his stare blank and his mouth slightly ajar. Her eyes began to tear up as she saw how dead he looked, "EDWARD!" She screamed out his name, hoping it would reach him.

Major Armstrong, Lieutenant Ross, and Sergeant Block came in and saw the amazing display of power. "Fullmetal, sir!" Ross called.

"The boy's alchemic power is multiplying rapidly." Armstrong said, Ross began to step forward to Ed.

"Lieutenant, wait!" Block called. She advanced further to his twitching body, when she reached it, she wrapped her arms around him in an attempt to calm him down. When she held him tight, Edward whispered something only she heard.

"Mom… You're back…"

Edward shut his eyes, and the light faded away. Ross held him there for a moment. Armstrong and Block stared in shock, as did Shane, Melody had buried her face in his chest, too afraid to see what would happen. She gripped his clothes, shaking, he turned back to her and held her tight.

"Mel…?" He asked softly, she didn't respond, "You're alright, aren't you?" She nodded her head. Shane smiled, "Good." Armstrong walked over to Edward and picked him up, then he walked over to Al and did the same. He stood next to Shane.

"Would you like me to take her?" He asked, Shane looked up at him and shook his head.

"Don't worry, sir. I've got her." He said, he put one hand on Melody's upper back, and the other underneath the bends of her legs. He picked her up bridal style and followed the major out. Melody kept her head buried in his chest, she put one hand on his shoulder, the other held onto the side of his chest. Armstrong crashed through the wall, carrying the two boys. Everyone clapped seeing they were safe. They were put in a truck and carried off to the hospital.

Melody stayed in Shane's arms during the duration of the ride. Shane rubbed her back soothingly through the ride, he held her close to him as she sat in his lap. Eventually, she fell asleep in his arms, Shane looked down at her calmed face and smiled. He brushed some hairs out of her face and kissed her forehead. "I love you…" He whispered, somewhat sad he could never say it to her face.


	13. Chapter 13

13

Melody jumped awake in a cold sweat. She had a nightmare about the night at lab five, it had, to say the least, scared the living hell out of her. She felt someone touching her arm and she looked over to see Shane's concerned face. She relaxed and smiled at him, putting her hand over his as it touched her arm. Shane smiled back and withdrew his arm.

"You were having a nightmare." He said, Melody nodded.

"I know, it was just a nightmare, though." She said, "I'm fine." She looked down in her lap to see she was gripping the white sheets of her hospital bed. She released them and stretched. "Wow, what a night…!" She said, Shane got up from his chair. "First we find out the secret of the stone, then you go to the place it was made, I almost get killed, I learn what a homunculus is, and we see the effect of the stone in action, even if was unfinished." She looked up at Shane with a sheepish smile, "I must look like hell." Shane laughed.

"Not really, you came out of that whole event better than the rest of us." He lifted up his shirt and showed her the bandages from the cut he received from Barry's knife. "You just got a bruise, I got a scar, Ed has a head wound, his right arm won't work, he's also got some shoulder wounds, and Al came out the worst because he's got no arms 'r legs." He smiled at her, "You are one lucky lady!" Melody looked at his bandages and put a hand to them, Shane didn't flinch or pull away. He looked at her solemn face, "What is it?" He asked, pulling his shirt down and holding her hand. She looked up at him.

"When you were carrying me… It didn't hurt did it?" She asked, Shane smiled and ruffled her hair as if she was a small child.

"Nope, I was fine. Didn't hurt while I was carrying you. Which reminds me!" He hit his fist into the palm of his hand, "You felt pretty light when I carried you, have you been eating right?" Melody glared at him with a smile on her face, she punched his shoulder. "Ow!" '

"I have been eating just fine, thank you very much!" She said, Shane rubbed the shoulder she hit.

"Sheesh, okay fine." He said, "At least you're not pissed at me. Are you?" Melody shook her head no and tossed the sheets off of her.

"I could never stay mad at you." She said, getting up, she got right in front of his face and smiled, "Even if I want to." She wrapped her arms around Shane's neck. "Thanks for taking care of me." She murmured. Shane chuckled softly.

"Like I would let anythin' bad happen to you." He said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. The door burst open and the two split apart instantly. Hughes raised his hand in a friendly hello.

"Hey guys! Hope I'm not interrupting anything!" He said, noticing how close they were standing together. Melody stuck her tongue out playfully at him. "Nice to see you, too, Melody." Shane smiled at him.

"What do want, Hughes?" Shane asked, faking a groan as he spoke. Hughes kept smiling.

"What, I can't come to the hospital and pick up my own houseguest?" He asked, Melody's eyebrows went up.

"Oh, yeah." She said, "I forgot, you're staying at his house." She said, Hughes looked over at her and peered in to look at the bruise, Melody backed up a little because she was weirding out. "What?" She asked, Hughes stepped back.

"That's a nasty bruise." He said, "I was just inspecting it." Melody shrugged.

"'Kay, whatever." She said, "Hughes, have you seen the boys yet?" Hughes shook his head.

"Actually I was about to go see them before I drop Shane off. I could drop you off somewhere, too, if you want." He said, "Where ya staying?" Melody's eyes went wide.

"Uh, I'm, um… hmm…" She sweat dropped, "I'm not staying anywhere…" Shane sweat dropped.

"That's right, since Scar isn't hunting you down anymore, you don't have to stay with the Elrics." Shane said, "And even if you did, you'd have to stay with them in that dorm, and, well, that's not exactly the best place to stay, considering how small and unprivate a dorm is with two boys…" Melody groaned.

"Ugh! What the heck am I gonna do!" She whined, Hughes smiled.

"We've got some extra space at my place." He said, Melody looked up at him, "We could make a room for you if you want."

"Oh, no." Melody said, "You've already got Shane, I-I don't wanna impose…" Hughes laughed.

"Nonsense! We've got a spare bed that needs someone to use it anyway!" He said, "You won't be imposing at all!" Melody smiled.

"Thanks Hughes." She said, Hughes waved his hand.

"Don't mention it!" He said, "I'm going to visit the Elrics, you wanna come with?" Melody nodded.

"Yeah." She said.

* * *

"Hey Edward." Hughes greeted, "I heard that you've been up and around today."

"Yeah, a little." Edward said.

"How about you, Al, you holding up, too?" Hughes asked.

"Sure." Al replied. Melody looked over at Ed.

"So, how are you feeling, Ed?" She asked, "I mean, you're not in pain or anything, right?" Ed shook his head.

"Not really, no." He smiled up at her, "You were out for two days, you know that? I was afraid something had happened to you and we'd have to get a body bag." Melody gently playfully punched his shoulder.

"I may be a girl, Ed, but I'm no weakling." She said. Ed smiled.

"Got that right." She smiled back.

"Oh, I forgot." Hughes said, "I haven't had a chance to eat lunch today."

"Oh, well, I'll get you some food, sir." Block said, putting some books down on the table next to Edward's bed.

"Yeah, uh, Lieutenant Ross, why don't you go with him?" Hughes asked. Melody looked at the now-serious faced officer, she knew where this was going.

"Understood, sir." She said, she and Block walked out of the room and shut the door.

"Thanks, I'm real hungry, I've just been so busy lately." Hughes said. Once they shut the door, he looked over at all the teenagers in the room. He took a seat on a stool near the bed and looked at straight at Edward. "About lab five, as far as the official military report goes, everything that happened there is collateral damage caused by Scar while he was pursuing you, but needless to say, I don't believe that." Edward said nothing, neither did Melody, Shane or Al. "We found a lot of corpses we suspect are chimeras. And a great deal of sophisticated equipment I can't help but think was working until yesterday. And surviving prisoners claim they were taken there by Brigadier General Graun, who we both know is in a grave with an exploded skull." Nobody said a word. "Ed, what the hell happened?" Edward didn't respond, "Ed." Hughes said, more sternly this time.

"How should I know?" Ed said, "I passed out."

"Don't give me that." Hughes said, "Just tell me what you saw, will ya?" Edward didn't say anything. Melody didn't move, and neither did Shane.

"Homunculi…" Ed muttered, Hughes's eyes widened.

"You're kidding me." He said. "Artificial people?"

"That's right." Edward said, "Believe me, they weren't human at all." Melody's mind flashed back to the memory of the homunculi. The woman with the spear-like fingers, the fat man who could eat anything he wanted, and the boy who could change into anyone he wanted. She shivered at the memory of him putting his finger against his skin. Shane put an arm around her to comfort her.

"So they're connected with the philosopher's stone?" Hughes asked.

"I'll say, they were trying to convince me to make a stone for them to make them human." Edward replied, "What's worse, they wanted me to use those prisoners to pull it off."

"That's hard to believe." Hughes said.

"Tell him, guys." Edward said, "Isn't that right?" Shane nodded, Melody did, too.

"Yes." Al said.

"He's telling the truth, Hughes." Melody said, "We really did see those things." Hughes nodded. Edward drew pictures for him to go off of.

"A guardian whose soul was attached to armor, a psychopath named Envy, tattoos of orouborous, the serpent that devours its own tail, and the arrays to make the philosopher's stone." Ed listed off. "Those are the things I saw in there, Hughes."

"This is turning into an awfully serious matter," Hughes said, "and the whole thing is about a little red stone."

"It's been serious for years now." Edward said, "Dr. Marcoh told me that the stone was used as a weapon in the eastern rebellion." Hughes looked over at Ed, "Anyway, these homunculi told me they were keeping me alive for their sakes. They were told to."

"Thanks for the information, Ed." Hughes said, "I'll take it from here." Ed looked up at him, eyes wide in astonishment, "Now get some rest. Why don't you and your brother just worry about yourselves for a while?" Ed smiled at him, he looked over at Al to see he wasn't looking his direction at all, and the smile faded. Hughes walked out the door. Melody and Shane followed.

"Oh, Melody." Edward called, Melody turned around, "Winry's coming into town today, and Armstrong's going to meet her in about an hour, why don't you go with him? I bet the girl time you spent is worth something." Melody smiled at him.

"Sure, Ed. Sounds like a blast." She said.

* * *

Melody stood next to Armstrong at the station, the train from Resembool had just arrived. Melody was excited to see Winry again, Shane came along with her. "So, tell me again," Shane said, "Winry is Ed's mechanic, right?"

"Yes." Melody said, trying to look over the crowd, "And she's obsessed _with_ mechanics, so she's easy to buy for." Shane nodded.

"Right…" He muttered. He looked up at Armstrong, "And all this is legit, sir?"

Armstrong nodded. "Most certainly, Miss Rockbell has a deep admiration of all things machine." Shane sighed.

Winry shouldered her toolbox. She sighed, "Cushion-less seats…" She muttered, "Let's see, Ed said he had a sign for me, or something." She said as she looked around, she saw Armstrong and gasped. He spotted her, too.

"My warmest welcome, Winry!" Armstrong exclaimed, "Thank you for going through the trouble of this make-day trip!" Winry waved and laughed nervously.

"That works…" She muttered. Melody smiled as she saw her, she jumped and waved. "Oh! Melody!" She ran over and she and Melody hugged. "It's nice to see you again!" Melody smiled.

"Yeah, you too!" She said, Winry looked over her shoulder and saw Shane. Melody turned to him, "Shane, this is Winry Rockbell. Winry, this is Shane Trublood, an old friend of mine." Winry held out her hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Winry said, Shane smiled coolly back.

"Believe me, Miss Rockbell," Shane said, looking at her, "The pleasure is all mine." Shane playfully nudged Melody's shoulder.

"You didn't tell me Ed's mechanic was such a hottie!" He said, "Warn me next time!" He winked at her, Melody smirked at him. She pretended to nick him.

"God, you're such a flirt. I swear…" Melody muttered, Shane held his arm out for Winry.

"May I, Miss Rockbell?" He asked, a smile on his face, Winry blushed.

"Y-You may!" She said, linking arms with him. They walked over to the car that was waiting for them, when they turned around, Melody stopped smiling. She looked over at Shane suspiciously.

"Miss Melody." Armstrong's voice caught her attention, "Are you alright?" Melody nodded and smiled.

"Yes, Major, I'm just fine." She said, "I… I was just thinking, that's all."

* * *

_Yesterday_

"Hey Ed." Shane said, coming in. Ed looked up at him.

"Hey." He replied.

"How do ya feel?" Shane asked, Ed shrugged.

"Where's Mel?" Ed asked, Shane looked to the floor.

"She… She hasn't woken up yet." Shane muttered.

"Oh…" Edward said, he looked across the room at Al, then back to Shane, "You're really worried about her, huh?" Shane nodded.

"Of course." He said, "I've been worried. I really want her to wake up soon, but there's a good chance she won't. Doctor says she's just tired, but still…" Edward looked at him for a second. He smirked.

"You're in love with Melody, aren't you?" Edward asked, Shane looked up at him, a blush covering his cheeks.

"W-What! When the heck did I say that!" He said getting flustered. Ed kept smirking.

"You are, aren't you? You're head over heels for her!" Shane's blush grew to cover his entire face. "Am I wrong?" Shane sat down on the bed.

"Yes, you got me…" He muttered, "I'm crazy for her…" Ed patted his shoulder.

"Relax, I've been where you've been pal." Edward said, "The girl you like is too oblivious to notice, right? You wanna tell her, but you can't." Shane nodded. Ed's eyes lit up. "Wait… Shane," he looked over at Ed, "How far are you willing to go to get her to be yours?" Shane looked at him as if he had asked him what two plus two is.

"I've already traveled way too far than I should have to find her." He said, "I'd go to hell and back for her." Ed smiled.

"Then I think I just figured out a way to get her feelings for you out in the open." Edward said, "Listen, my mechanic is coming tomorrow, her name's Winry. Why not flirt with her, make it obvious, too. Let Melody think you got a thing for Winry, she'll either get jealous and try to stop it, or she'll encourage you, or she'll do nothing about it." Shane nodded, "That's how it works, from what I can tell. Just don't get too comfy with my mechanic, though. I've got a thing for her, and I don't want you stealin' her, 'kay?" Shane nodded.

"Alright, deal." He shook hands with Edward, "So, _what in God's name do I do!_" Edward sweat dropped.

"Okay, here's what you do…"

* * *

_Present time_

"You know, I really like your hair Winry." Shane said, Winry smiled. "It's real silky, and blonde hair is really something."

"Thank you Shane, I like your hair, too." Winry said, "Dark hair always makes someone look really cool, and the way it's all shaggy really compliments your face."

"Really? Go figure, huh?" He and Winry shared a friendly laugh. Melody sighed. She was really starting to get annoyed. She didn't mind a little friendly chat to get to know someone, but this was flat out flirting! Melody wished she just go temporarily deaf so she wouldn't have to listen to this stuff. Armstrong pulled up at the hospital, Melody jumped out of the car.

"Here, Winry, let me." Shane said, getting the door for her, she smiled at him.

"Thank you, Shane, you're such a gentleman!" Winry said, getting out of the car. Shane looked over at Melody, and he caught her staring at the two, she quickly looked away. Shane smirked. Winry shouldered her toolbox as she shut the door.

"Oh, that must be heavy, Winry, I'll carry it for you." Shane offered, Winry smiled.

"Thank you, Shane, but I've got it." She said, Shane nodded.

"Alright." Shane said.

The four of them walked up to Ed's room, "Hey, Ed, we brought your girlfriend." Melody saw Ed and Winry blush seven shades of red.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Ed yelled.

"Whatever." Melody shrugged. Winry came in and saw Ed, she dropped her toolbox in surprise.

"Edward! You didn't tell me you were in the hospital for this!" Winry whined.

"Yeah, well, one thing lead to another…" Ed laughed nervously.

"It's nothing to laugh about." Winry said, Edward looked up at her confused.

"What's wrong?" Ed asked.

"I didn't do the maintenance on your automail the way I should've." Winry said, her face filled with guilt. "And now… this is my fault…"

"NO! Don't say that there's a lot of other things to blame!" Ed said, "Right, Al?" Al glanced over at them.

"Right." He said, Melody looked over at him, Al had been awfully different lately, what was bugging him?

"See there? And Al doesn't lie!" Ed said to Winry.

"Yeah, but…" Winry started.

"Your maintenance was perfect." Ed rubbed his auto-mail arm, "It always has been! It's complicated machinery, and I'm slinging it all around, it was bound to jam up sometime! I mean, honestly, the timing was pretty good, if it had stopped earlier, I'd be a lot worse off. It broke because I was rough with it, don't worry!" Winry couldn't believe what she was hearing. _Could he actually not have noticed that I forgot to use that screw?_ She thought, this was good, he didn't know, she could blame it on him!

"You're right, Ed, you're too rough. A reckless klutz, really." She laughed, Ed deadpanned. Armstrong, Melody, and Shane all sweat dropped.

* * *

Melody sighed. Edward was still in the hospital, Al was with him, and Shane and Winry had gone to get dinner. Melody wasn't hungry, so she decided to go and wait to go to the new place she was staying at. She was in Hughes's office, sitting on a chair with a piece of paper and a pencil, she was only doodling, but it kept her occupied.

She had spoken with Sheska, and she had a lot on her plate, she was making all kinds of documents for Hughes and worked nonstop almost 24/7. She didn't want to bug her any more than she already had. She looked up as she heard a phone ring, Sheska answered it, "Hello, Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes' office." She answered, Melody smirked at how formal she sounded, "One moment." She opened the door to Hughes' office. "Lieutenant Colonel, sorry to interrupt, but there's a call for Colonel Mustang." Hughes came out and went over to the phone.

"Yo, Roy! Good timing!" Hughes said, "I've got great news!"

"What, your soldiers have found Scar?" Mustang asked.

"No, you obsessed idiot, how would that be great news?" Hughes said, "Did you honestly forget? Tomorrow is Elysia's birthday! We're throwing her a party and everything!" Melody and Sheska sweat dropped.

"Unless you wanna become charcoal, Maes, you better tell me the news from Central." Mustang growled.

"Don't worry, if anything important happens, I'll let you know." Hughes said, "In the meantime, make sure you send my daughter a present! Bye, now!" Hughes hung up the phone. Melody looked at him, confused.

"Hughes, are you sure it's okay not to say anything about Ed and Al?" Melody asked, Hughes looked over at her.

"Yeah, I'm sure." He said, "Right now, it's better if he doesn't know anything." Melody shrugged.

"If you say so." She said. Hughes turned to Sheska.

"But enough of that, you got those reports?" He asked, Sheska smiled proudly.

"Yeah! Working non-stop without sleep, I've managed to finish them all!" She said, showing him the desk covered in paper. Hughes plopped a thick book down on top of them.

"Great, here's a list of what's next, doll." Melody sweat dropped, and Sheska fell over. Melody sighed and went back to doodling, but she realized she was out of room to draw, she sighed again. When she got up to get more paper, her watch slipped out of her pocket. She forgot to chain it to her clothes so it fell to the floor and popped open.

"Oops." She muttered. Hughes bent down and picked up, he looked at the picture inside.

"Who's this?" He asked, Melody stood beside him.

"Me, my brother, and my dad." She said, Hughes handed her the watch.

"You never said you had a brother." Hughes said, Melody clipped her watch to her belt.

"You never asked." She said, she turned to get more paper, but stopped. "Hughes?"

"Yeah?" He asked.

"You… really love your daughter, right?" She asked, Hughes quirked a brow.

"Of course. Why?" He asked, Melody didn't look at him.

"Well… I was just thinking…" She muttered, she turned her head and looked at him, "If your daughter did something, something that couldn't be fixed or changed at all, something that affected specifically you… Would you still love her?" Hughes' eyes widened, as did Sheska's.

"Why are you asking me this?" Hughes asked, Melody shut her eyes tight.

"Well, my dad loved me just as much as you love Elysia, if not more." She said, her voice getting shaky, "And… I've done something to him that I could never, ever fix… I-I never knew whether or not he still cares about me because of what I did…" Hughes put a hand on her shoulder.

"What did you do?" He asked, his face soft with concern.

"Something unforgivable…" She asked, Hughes could see a tear escape and travel slowly down her cheek. He turned her around and looked at her, Melody looked away, her eyes shut tight. Hughes nodded to Sheska to leave the room, she did so. "Please, Hughes, answer me…"

"Melody look at me." Hughes said, Melody opened her eyes and looked at him. "What did you do that was unforgivable?" She looked at the floor.

"I-I can't…"

"I won't tell anyone, Melody. I swear." He said, Melody didn't answer as more tears escaped. He sighed, "If Elysia did something that couldn't be fixed, something that couldn't be undone, I would still love her with all my heart and soul." Melody sniffed, she wiped the tears from her eyes, her body still shook, though. "Now, what did you do?" Melody shook her head.

"I don't wanna say…" She said, her voice cracking, but the tears had already stopped flowing, she took a deep, shaky breath and tried to calm herself. "I… just wanted to know. Thanks Hughes." She released herself from his hold and walked out the door, "I'm going to get some dinner, I'll be back soon enough." Hughes looked at her sadly as she walked out.


	14. Chapter 14

14

"Mel!" Shane shouted, said girl turned around and saw Shane and Winry walking over. "What's up? Finally decide to get some grub?" Melody smiled.

"Just finished actually." She said, "How about you guys? You done, too?" Winry smiled.

"Yeah!" Winry said, "I was about to go and do Ed's maintenance, you wanna come?" Melody shook her head.

"No, thanks," She said, "I've had a bit of a day and I'm ready to call it in." Shane looked over at her, suspicious.

"Alright, Shane said he was going home, too." Winry said, "I gotta go, I'll see you later!" Winry waved at the two as she walked in the direction of the hospital. Melody looked over at Shane as he kept waving. She nudged him.

"What?" Shane asked.

"I happen to recall you saying you didn't like blondes." She said. She playfully jabbed him with her index finger, "So you had a preference change while I was gone, or you're trying to mess with Eddy, fess up!" Shane raised his eyebrows.

_She remembers that!_ "Uh, yeah, you got me." Shane lied, "I was trying to screw with Ed. Figures you'd see right through me." Melody smirked.

"I knew it." Melody said, she and Shane walked over to the Hughes' residence. Melody had met Elysia the other night, Hughes was right about her being cute, and she really seemed to like her back. She and Mrs. Hughes got along pretty well, too. The two of them walked in silence for a few moments. Until Melody decided to break it, "I almost told Hughes about dad." Shane turned sharply at her, gaping.

"You what!" He asked, Melody didn't look at him, "What the hell--! Why!" Melody shrugged.

"Well, seeing him act all obsessed over his kid, I couldn't help but think about dad." She said nonchalantly, "So I asked him a question, there were a few tears, I got my answer, and I left. He's suspicious now." She glanced at him, "He's probably going to ask questions when we, or he, gets home, whoever gets there first." Shane put a hand on her shoulder.

"I won't tell him anything if you don't want me to." He said, Melody nodded.

"Then don't, I'll talk when I'm ready." She said, Shane nodded. He kept his hand on her shoulder, she didn't remove it, and she didn't stop him when he put his arm on her shoulders, walking beside her.

* * *

Melody watched as Elysia blew out her candles on her cake. Everyone said, "Happy birthday, Elysia!" and clapped. Melody stood next to Shane, Winry was on her other side. After cake and other refreshments were handed out. Winry stood next to the window, Melody stood next to her as Shane had gone to get a refill on her drink for her. Melody looked over at her.

"Al told me you lost your parents, is that true?" Melody asked, Winry looked over and nodded.

"Yeah, they were doctors in the Ishballan war and--" Winry was cut off by Melody.

"I asked if it was true, I didn't ask how they died." She said, Winry looked at her, "I know how painful those kinds of memories can be, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Winry's eyes widened. "I lost my dad a few years ago, it's been a while, but it still hurts." Winry's eyes softened and she smiled.

"Thanks." She said, Melody shrugged.

"No problem." Shane came over and handed Melody her drink, "Thanks, blood-boy." Shane thumped her forehead, "Ouch!"

"I told Hughes to stop callin' me that, now I'm tellin' you." He said, Melody stuck her tongue out at him.

"You're pretty." The group looked down to see Elysia was complimenting Winry. Winry smiled and knelt down to meet her eye level.

"Hey there, Elysia." She said, "Can you tell me how old you are today?" Elysia counted on her fingers.

"One, two… I'm four!" She said proudly.

"Right! You're so adorable!" Winry pulled her into a hug.

"Winry? Know what?" Elysia asked, Winry looked at her.

"Hm?"

"Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations." Elysia said, "Know why? Daddy says when you tell someone congratulations, good things will happen to them. So I'm telling you!" Winry smiled.

"Thank you, that's sweet." Winry said.

"My, my." Hughes said as he came over, "If I didn't know, I'd think the two of you were really sisters."

"You think so?" Winry asked, she patted Elysia's head. "I always wanted a little sister like this. I'm just an only child, after all."

"You have brothers." Hughes said, "Two great ones." Winry looked away from him, her smile turning sad.

"No I don't," She said, "Real brothers would tell me things and let me into their lives a little. But those two have always kept me at arms-length from anything that actually matters."

"Sorry, can't help that." Hughes said, he took off his glasses to clean them, "Guys like them, they always speak more with their actions than their words. They like people to be happy, they do dangerous work and they don't wanna burden anyone else with their problems, or make them worry about them, so they keep quiet. But, despite all that, when the pressure valve breaks and they _have_ to talk, you're the one they'll go to." Winry looked up at him, "Right? You're the one they can count on when they need to, and that in itself says a lot." He put his glasses back on, "But for brothers to count on their older sister, she's gonna have to be there, and be strong." Winry smiled.

"That makes sense." She said, Gracia came over with a white box wrapped up with a ribbon.

"Here ya go." She said, Winry stood up, "Thanks for waiting, it's Edward's birthday cake, fresh from the oven. I hope he likes it!"

"It's Ed's birthday, too?" Shane asked, Melody nudged him.

"I remember this story, Al told me when he was celebrating Ed's birthday at Hughes' place, when the Missus went into labor. They had to keep an eye on her until the doctor got there to help out." Melody whispered. Shane snickered.

"I'll have to hear that story sometime." He whispered back.

"Go on, go see 'em." Hughes said.

"Here." Gracia handed Winry the cake.

"Mr. Hughes, don't you have a present for Ed, too?" She asked.

"What's the point?" Hughes asked, picking up his daughter, "There's not a gift I could give that wouldn't dull in comparison to your smiling face." Winry blushed. Shane looked around.

"What the… Has anyone seen Mel?" He asked, Hughes looked around, he didn't see her. "She was here a second ago…"

"I know where she is!" Elysia said, "She went up to the old music room!" Shane cocked a brow.

"The old music room?" Shane repeated, "Where's that?"

"It's this way," Hughes said, "Come on."

* * *

Melody's fingers skimmed over the violin sitting on the desk in the room Elysia had showed her the other day. Melody picked up the dusty thing and blew some of it off. She plucked each of the strings, it was perfectly tuned, surprisingly enough.

"I didn't know you played." She heard Hughes' voice from the door. She gave a small laugh and turned around, she met the faces of Hughes, Gracia, Shane, Winry, and Elysia.

"You never asked." She said.

"Why not play something?" Shane suggested, he turned to Hughes, "She knows her way around a violin, sir." Hughes quirked a brow.

"Is that so?" He asked, "Let's hear something, then." Melody mock-glared at Shane.

"You are awful." She said, Shane waved it off, Melody brought the chin rest up and got in position to play, "Forgive me if I'm a bit rusty, I haven't played in a while." She started up the tune for 'Rocky Top' and soon, she began singing the lyrics to it.

_"Wish that I was on old Rocky Top_

_Down in the Tennessee hills_

_Ain't no smoggy smoke on Rocky Top_

_Ain't no telephone bills _

_Once I had a girl on Rocky Top_

_Half bear the other half cat_

_Wild as a mink but sweet as soda pop_

_I still dream about that _

_Rocky Top you'll always be_

_Home sweet home to me_

_Good ole Rocky Top, Rocky Top, Tennessee_

_Rocky Top, Tennessee _

_Once two strangers climbed old Rocky Top_

_Looking for a moonshine still. _

_Strangers ain't come down from Rocky Top_

_Reckon they never will _

_Corn won't grow at all on Rocky Top_

_Ground's too rocky by far _

_That's why all the folks on Rocky Top_

_Get their corn from a jar_

_Rocky Top you'll always be_

_Home sweet home to me_

_Good ole Rocky Top, Rocky Top, Tennessee_

_Rocky Top, Tennessee."_

As Melody played, some of the other guests from the party heard her and came up to listen. A few of Elysia's friends were dancing to the song, as was Elysia. Melody didn't notice, she was too caught up in playing the song.

"_I've had years of cooped up city life_

_Trapped like a dog in a pen_

_All I know is it's a pity life_

_Can't be simple again_

_Rocky Top, you'll always be_

_Home sweet home to me_

_Good ole Rocky Top, Rocky Top, Tennessee_

_Rocky Top, Tennessee_

_Rocky Top, Tennessee…!"_

Melody drew out the last note, she opened her eyes as she heard applause. She looked and saw most of the party had come up to hear her play. She blushed from all the attention. "Well! I think we found our party's entertainment!" Hughes said as he walked over, Melody's blush deepened as she shook her head.

"Oh, no. I-I'm not good with big audiences, I didn't even though there was one until--!" She was cut off by someone tugging on her pants, she looked down and met the happy face of Elysia, "Y-yes? What is it?"

"Can you play another song?" She asked, "That last one was really fun!" Melody got slightly flustered.

"Um, well…" She put her hand behind her head, "I dunno, I mean…" Shane put his hand on her shoulder.

"If you play the fiddle, I'll find a guitar." He said, Melody smiled at him.

"Well, if someone's playing with me…" She said, Shane smiled. Hughes put a hand on both teen's shoulders.

"Aww, I knew you two had something going on!" He said, Melody's blush covered her whole face, as did Shane's. "Now you're going to play instruments together at my Elysia's party! That's one heck of a present!" He turned to Shane, "I bet we have a guitar lying around here somewhere for you, blood-boy." Shane's embarrassment turned to rage.

"For the millionth time, stop callin' me that!" He yelled. Hughes laughed, as did Melody and a large group of the party. "Okay, I'm not playing, even if it is for your daughter."

"If he's not playing, I'm not playing." Melody said, Hughes sighed.

"You sure?" He asked.

"Yes." Melody held up the violin, "This surely has a case, doesn't it?" Hughes nodded.

"Yeah, I'll get it for you." He said, he walked off to another room. Winry came up to her and Shane.

"Well, I'm going to go get started on fixing Ed." She said, "Want me to send him your regards?"

"Yeah, tell him I said 'happy birthday.'" Melody said.

"I'll go with you, Winry." Shane said, "I wanna try some of Mrs. Hughes' cake." Melody playfully punched his shoulder.

"If you keep eating like that, you're gonna be a great big fatty." She said, Shane ruffled her hair.

"Not before you, Ms. Chocolate-lover." He said, Melody smacked his hand away. He smiled, "I'll meet you at the hospital, then?" She nodded.

"Yeah, sure." She said, Winry and Shane waved goodbye as they headed out. Hughes came back into the room when everybody had left. Melody looked over at him, he had a serious look on his face, she sighed. "I'm pretty sure there's a reason you took so long getting a violin case. What is it?"

"I want to talk to you about yesterday." he said, holding his hand out for the violin, Melody huffed.

"Figured this was coming." She muttered as she put the violin in the case, "I shouldn't have said anything yesterday."

"But you did." Hughes said, putting the case on a nearby table, "Talk. What did you do that was so bad?" Melody sighed and leaned against the table, crossing her arms.

"It's not a subject I like to talk about…" She said running a hand through her hair.

"Tough." Hughes said, "What was so bad that you think your father didn't forgive you? You said he loves you so why wouldn't he--"

"He's incapable of forgiving me." Melody said. Hughes looked at her, surprised.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean, he cannot say 'I forgive you.'" She said, "His mouth won't work anymore." Hughes raised his eyebrows.

"Why? Is there something wrong with him?" He asked, Melody shook her head.

"No, he's dead, and it's my fault." She said, Hughes' face softened, "The official record of his death says it was an accident, mostly because they didn't want to put a twelve-year-old on the bench."

"What happened?" He asked. Melody let out a shaky breath as she remembered her father's last moments.

* * *

_Four years ago_

"Come on…" He muttered. He turned the key in the ignition again, but the machine wouldn't start up. He hit the top of it. "Come on! You're supposed to be the best crop cutter on the market!" he yelled. He ran a hand through his fiery red hair.

"What's wrong with it, Dad?" Melody asked her father, he turned and looked at her with a smile on his face.

"Something's probably gone an' jammed the blades again." He said, he patted her head, "Nothing to worry about. We'll just get rid of whatever the problem is." He jumped off of the machine. "When I give the okay, start it up, would ya, darlin'?" Melody's eyes went wide.

"Really! I can start it!" She asked excitedly, her dad smiled up at her.

"Sure can." He said, Melody squealed in delight. "But wait until I give the okay, got it?" Melody nodded her head vigorously.

"Uh-huh!" She said. Her dad went to the front of the machine and stuck his head between the blades; he looked and saw an old boot stuck in between a couple of the upper blades of the giant machine. He reached in and grabbed it.

"I got it!" He yelled up, Melody nodded and put her hand on the ignition key.

"Okay!" She yelled back, she turned the key. Instead of the machine started up like normal, a red liquid came out and splattered itself over her shirt and overalls, as well as other parts of the barn. She quickly turned it off, "Oh, gross! You sure you got it, Dad?" She asked trying to wipe off some of the stuff, she didn't hear anything, she turned her head in his direction, "Dad? Did you hear me?" She asked, still no answer, she climbed down from on top of the old machine and went up to see him, "Dad…?" She was more timid this time. She looked at the beat up, sliced up sight before her and screamed.

* * *

_Present time_

Melody felt a warm tear travel down her cheek. She brought her hand up to her face and wiped it away. Hughes put his hand on her shoulder, "I'm sorry." He said, Melody waved her hand.

"Don't be, it was four years ago." She said, "I-I'm used to not having him around anymore…" His grip tightened slightly.

"But it still hurts, doesn't it?" He asked, Melody put her head down. She shivered slightly and wrapped her arms around herself.

"You have no idea…" She muttered, Hughes pulled her into an embrace. Melody stood completely still.

"If I was in that position, where my own daughter had been responsible for my own death," Hughes said, "I would still love her, even from the next life." Melody's eyes widened, she let out a sob and buried her face in his chest, crying out her worries and miseries, and shedding tears of joy from the thought that her father still loved her in the afterlife. She and Hughes stayed in that position for a good half hour before Melody calmed down and pulled away.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel." She said, wiping her eyes.

"You're welcome." Hughes said, smiling at her before walking to leave the room.

"Really." She said as he left, "Thank you." Hughes smiled again before walking out the door. She smiled and left to go and visit Edward.

* * *

Shane walked behind Winry as she headed to Ed's room, when they reached the door, she opened it and rushed inside, holding the cake behind her back. "Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations, Ed." She said, hiding her blushing face behind her bangs, Ed looked up at her with a slightly surprised and confused face, Winry looked at him, "Know why? Because the more people tell you congratulations on your birthday, the more good things will happen to you." She smiled at him, and handed him the cake, "Here, it's from Gracia."

"Okay, thank you." Edward said as he took the cake. Shane plopped himself down at the foot of Edward's bed.

"It's a cake, and it smells like a good one, too." Shane said as Ed unwrapped the box.

"I copied the recipe from her," Winry said, turning to Al, "When you get your body back, and you can eat, Al, I'll make one for you, too! Kay?"

"Whatever." Al said.

"Alright! It looks awesome!" Shane said looking at the cake.

"Oh yeah, the three of us always used to eat cake together on our birthdays, didn't we?" Edward asked, reminiscing.

"Yeah," Winry said, "Remember when Den ate Al's cake? We knew because of the paw prints made with the frosting, Al cried." Shane chuckled a little as he was handed a slice of cake.

"Hehe, yeah that's right." Edward said.

"How old were you guys? Five?" Shane asked.

"That happened to me?" Al asked, the group looked over at him.

"Yeah, you and the dog were both pretty little, then." Edward said. "Why? You don't remember it?"

"No…" Al looked away from them.

"Something the matter, Al?" Winry asked.

"I'll be outside on the roof 'till you're done repairing." Al said. Shane looked over at him, then back at the other two.

"Al…" Winry muttered. Ed sighed.

* * *

Shane sat in a chair in the corner of the room, watching as Winry did her repairs.

"Ed?" She asked, "Something happened between you and Al, didn't it?"

"I…" Ed looked away from her, "I did something awful to him, Winry." She looked down at him, Shane looked over at him, too. "I had the chance to do it, to change him back to normal, and I hesitated."

"How come?" She asked.

"Because in order for it to work," Edward said, "I would've had to sacrifice some other people…" Winry's eyes went wide in shock. "It all would've been for Al, compared to him, those other people shouldn't have meant anything to me. But I… I just couldn't do it, not with him watching me, my conscience got in the way." Winry turned back to the repairs.

"It's a good thing it did." She said, "After all, Al is a selfless person, he wouldn't have been happy in that body. Even if it's what he wants most, how could he take that burden, seeing the ones who died every time he looked at his skin?"

"I promised." Edward told her.

"Think about it, maybe there's another reason." She said, "Maybe he's upset because he saw the brother he idolizes even consider taking someone else's life." Winry brought her hands away from his arm and Ed sat up. "All done! Come on, now, let's have you go take care of Al." She said packing up her tools.

"Yeah, but…" Edward started, "I have no idea what to say to him." Shane came over and flicked his forehead. "Ow!"

"Just say sorry, ijit." He said. "It's an apology, it ain't that hard."

"Yeah, Ed, you rant for hours and you can't say two words?" Winry joked. Ed looked at the smiling faces of the two and smiled back.

"Yeah, let's go." He said.

* * *

Shane opened the door for Ed and Winry as they came in carrying small wrapped bundles. Ed stepped in front of Al with a small smile in his face. "Listen, I'm sorry." He said, "And I'm gonna fix you right now." The two of them put the bundles down to reveal random scrap pieces of steel metal.

"I brought these parts from Resembool," Winry said, "They should be enough."

"Trust me." Edward said, "I'm not gonna give up on this yet, Al." He started rearranging the pieces so he knew what he was working with. "We're gonna do this, but we'll do it the right way. And we'll be normal again, I'm sure." Al watched him for a moment.

"Maybe you can go back to normal, brother," Al said, "And I hope you do, but I'm not sure I ever can." Ed stopped for a second, he looked up at his younger brother.

"Ah, what are you talking about?" He said, "Of course you can, Al." He stood up, "Here goes." He clapped his hands and placed them on Al's armor. Al began to glow as he stood, his arms and legs rematerializing themselves into his old form. Winry and Shane watched in awe of the alchemy process. Al stood a seven foot tall suit of armor yet again. "How's that?" Ed asked him. Al brought up his fist.

"That's how you made me this way when you attached my soul to this armor in the first place. Isn't it?" Al asked.

"That's right." Edward said.

"Along with my memories." Al said. Shane cocked a brow. "After all, memories are just information you can reference, like a cabinet of files. As skilled and alchemist as you are, you could've created any memories you wanted me to have."

"Fake memories?" Shane asked.

"Don't tell me that's what you're upset about." Edward said.

"Why shouldn't it be?" Al retorted, "A while back in Resembool, there's something you wanted to tell me, but you couldn't. You said you were afraid of how I'd react, you remember that don't you? I can't remember parts of my past because they never happened! My memories, and my soul, are fake! Something that you created! Isn't that what you wanted to say!" Ed's eyes widened in fear.

"No!" Winry yelled, "What Ed wanted to tell you was that--!"

"Stop lying to me!" Al yelled, swiping at her with his hand. Shane caught her shoulder as she went back. "I know what the truth is, the person named Alphonse Elric never existed at all." Ed kept staring at his brother.

"That makes no sense!" Winry yelled, "You and Ed have always been together, I knew you when you were a boy, my grandma did too! We're friends, Al, you can trust me!"

"Can I?" Al asked, "Really?" Winry gasped, "How can I believe anyone, when there's no way to prove it? When I'm just a hollow shell, all three of you can be in on it, together!"

"Alphonse, that's a bloody lie, and you know it!" Shane yelled.

"Shut up!" Al swiped at him, Shane stepped back.

"So…" Ed started, "You've been sitting on those thoughts all this time…" His voice cracked slightly, "Is there anything else you're hiding… that you wanna say?"

"What about you, my so-called brother!" Al yelled, "Answer my question, why won't you say anything? Unless it's true!" Al turned to leave, but Ed grabbed his arm. "Let go of me. What's the point of living this lie!" He flung Edward off his arm, he turned to leave again, but Ed charged back and held onto his arm with both of his.

"You idiot!" He yelled.

"Let go of me! Let go!" Al struggled against his hold.

"Al! Stop!" Ed yelled, Winry and Shane stood there, not knowing what to do.

"I won't stay here!" Al yelled, he took his arm away from Ed, and hit him down in the process.

"Edward!" Winry said as she ran to his side. Ed got up slowly. He looked at his little brother with his slightly bruised cheek and bloody mouth. Eyes glistening.

"Alphonse…" He said.

"Stay back…" Al said, stepping back.

"Hold on." Ed told him, but Al didn't listen.

"Just stay back!" He yelled, "Keep away from me!" He ran to the railing on the roof.

"Please, Al!" Ed called after him. Al jumped over the railing of the building, "AL!" Ed yelled as he, Shane and Winry ran over to where he had jumped. Shane got there first and he saw Al get up. "Wait!" Ed yelled as he got ready to jump over after him.

"Ed, no!" Winry yelled as she and Shane held him back.

"Are you nuts!" Shane yelled.

"Al! AL!" Ed yelled after his younger brother.


	15. Chapter 15

15

Melody rubbed her eyes as she walked down the street, she'll still had some bits of her tears left from when she had been with Hughes. It was slow, and changed paces at different parts, but she hadn't stopped crying since she talked about her father's death. It had started raining as she had left the house. She sighed and looked up at the rain.

"Jeez…" She muttered, "I'm such a crybaby, aren't I…?" She closed her eyes and let rain fall on her face, "You… You told me to be strong…" She opened her eyes and looked at the cloudy sky, "You said a weak person never gets anywhere, didn't you…? Dad…" She sighed and looked up to see she was in a place she didn't recognize. She looked around, and recognized nothing.

She mentally slapped herself, because she had been crying, she had gone and gotten herself lost! "Dammit!" She cursed, running forward, "Not only am I a crybaby, but I'm an idiot, too!" She turned the corner and hit something, she fell flat on her butt. She rubbed her head, "Ow… and a klutz…" She looked up and saw the armor she was so familiar with.

"Melody?" Al asked, she smiled.

"Al!" She jumped up happily, "Good to see you back in one piece, how do you feel?" She rapped against his chest plate. Al looked down at her, she noticed his silence and got nervous, "Hey, something up Al?"

_She's only been here for about a month. _Al thought, _She couldn't have anything to do with it, could she? She probably doesn't even know._ "Not really," Al told her, he noticed her red eyes, "Have you been crying?" Melody blushed and started wiping her eyes.

"Crap, you can tell!" She yelled, "Dammit all! I thought the rain would get rid of it!" Al put a hand on her shoulder.

"Why were you crying, Melody?" He asked, she looked up and smiled at him.

"Nothing important, just some bad memories." She said, patting his hand, "I'm fine." Al pulled his hand back, Melody looked behind him. "Where's Ed? Since you're up and around, he's better, too, isn't he?" She looked up at Al and saw that she couldn't see the little lights that made up his eyes, "Al?"

"I… I don't want to be near him." Al said, Melody quirked an eyebrow, "You should probably get going, or Shane'll worry about you." Al walked past her, she followed him. Al looked back at her.

"Shane doesn't worry about me." She said, "He knows I can take care of myself." She smiled at him, "Besides, this is the most you've spoken to me since lab five." She looked away and sweat dropped, "And I have no clue how to find them…" she muttered, but Al heard her nonetheless. He didn't say anything. She knocked against his armor, "Hey, if we're out in the rain too much, you might start rusting or something, let's find someplace to dry off." Al looked at her and saw her clothes were soaked and stuck to her skin.

"Yeah…" He said, they went into an alley where the rain didn't hit them. They sat beside a dumpster, Melody sat next to the garbage, and Al squatted down next to her. She looked up at the grey sky. She took in a deep breath and let it out.

"So," She started, "What's the real reason you're here? Did you run away?" She took some of her brown hair, which had darkened from the rain so much it looked black, and wrung it out. Al looked at her.

"How did you--?" Melody cut him off.

"Ever since I met you, you and your brother were inseparable." She said, putting her hair behind her back, "So, you either had a fight about something and you're here to walk it out. Or, something happened while I was gone, and you ran away." She looked up at him, he didn't respond. "You don't have to tell me, though. I don't really care what happened." She waved her hand as she spoke.

"Thanks." Al said, Melody smiled at him.

"No problem." She said. Melody turned her head as she heard someone yelling.

"Stop! Thief!" A man yelled, "Somebody stop them!" Melody heard two pairs of footsteps running their way. "You little brats! Get back here! Nobody steals from me!" She heard a third pair of footsteps, probably from the one chasing them. The thieves, two dark-skinned boys, ran into the alley they were in and hid behind Al, they didn't even notice Melody. They panted in exhaustion.

"Lost him." One said proudly, he handed the other an apple. "Here, eat up."

"I don't want any!" The other said, "What were you thinking! You just picked that up and stole it out of nowhere! If mom knew we were--" He was cut off by the growling of his stomach.

"There, see?" The other said, "You can't be so hard on yourself."

"You shouldn't take things that don't belong to you." Al said, the two boys looked over at him.

"Did you hear that?" One asked, "This old pile of junk said something!" Al looked over at the two.

"No," The two boys gasped, "I'm not a pile of junk." Melody harrumphed.

"That's not a nice thing to say, didn't your parents tell you 'if you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all?'" She said.

"When did she get there!" One of the boys exclaimed.

"Hey," Al said looking over at the two to see they both had red eyes to go with their dark skin, "You guys look like… Are you from Ishbal?" The boys gasped and put hard stares on him and Melody.

* * *

"Um, excuse me." Winry asked a man, she held up a drawing of Al, "Have you seen anyone that looks like this?"

"No." The man shook his head, "I'm sorry, I haven't."

"Okay, well thank you." Winry said as the man left. Shane looked over at her, then at Ed. He put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry so much." Shane said, "We'll find 'im, and when we do, ya can set things straight, 'kay?" Edward didn't say anything.

"Edward…?" Winry asked.

"Guys…" Ed started, "I'm… scared… There is… something I've been wanting to ask him for a long time… But I've always been too afraid to talk to him about it…"

"What is it?" Winry asked. Ed didn't respond, Shane sighed.

"Edward," Shane said, "Sometimes the answers never come if you don't ask the questions." He said, "Take it from me, I've got some experience." He joked. Nobody did anything, they just stood there. Shane looked up at the raining sky, he wondered where Melody was. He hoped she was alright, if anything happened to her, he'd be worse than Ed. By a long shot!

* * *

Alphonse and Melody gaped at the small underground village they were in. The old man sitting in front of the two laughed. "It must seem very bizarre to find so many people living in a place like this." He said.

"No, not at all." Al said.

"It's just not what we were expecting when we followed them." Melody said.

"Don't worry about it." The old man said, waving his hand, "I guess these two were causing trouble on the surface." He looked at the two boys, who Melody had come to learn they were brothers named Rick and Leo. Rick was younger and wore a bandana on his head, and Leo was older, and taller than Rick. "By the way, where did you get that strange armor you're wearing? Is it some kind of uniform?"

"Relax." A voice said, "He's not part of the military." Melody and Al turned sharply and looked at his face.

"Scar!" Al exclaimed.

"Our paths entwine, don't they, Alphonse Elric and Melody Kilgore?" He asked. Melody's eyes hardened.

"Didn't think you would be here." She said sternly, "What a strange coincidence." Rick looked between the three of them, he went over to Scar and stood in front of him, as if to protect him. Melody's stare went from hard, to surprised.

"Well, do you three know each other, then?" The old man asked.

"We do." Scar said. "In a sense."

"Unfortunately." Melody grumbled.

"Perfect. That makes this easier." The old man said, "Strangers, I ask that you do not tell anyone about us, or about this camp of ours."

"I won't, I promise." Al said.

"Same here." Melody said.

"I've only heard about what happened at Ishbal." Melody said, "I can understand you're grouping up and making camps, but why did you come down here?"

"Because the military came and attacked us." Leo said.

"Yes," Scar said, Melody and Al looked over at him as he spoke, "They've destroyed our homes, and massacred our people again and again, but they do not tire. They still just keep coming." He looked down, "If those wretched state alchemists are, indeed, still trying to hunt me down, then right now might be their only chance to succeed."

"Because you're injured." Al said. Scar directed his attention to him.

"What happened to your brother?" He asked. Al looked away.

"I don't _care_ what happens to him." He said, Melody's eyes grew wide, as did Scar's. Rick gasped and looked at his shirt.

"What Rick?" Leo asked, "What's wrong?"

"Mom's locket!" Rick exclaimed, "It fell off, it's gone!" Leo sighed.

"Who cares about that dumb old thing anyway?" He said, "Just forget about it, alright?"

"When I fell…" Rick muttered, he turned on his heel and ran.

"Hey, wait!" Leo yelled, "Wait for me!" He got up and ran after him.

"You can't!" The old man yelled, "Somebody might see you! Rick! Leo!"

"Don't worry." Scar said, "I'll bring them back." Melody and Alphonse got up after him and followed him outside the sewers. They walked up the stairs near an old abandoned building. "I don't know what happened, Alphonse Elric," Scar said "But if you and your brother hate each other now, that makes things a great deal easier for me."

"They don't hate each other." Melody said, "They're just upset about something! My brother and I get into these kinds of fights all the time, it'll pass in the next twelve hours, I'm certain." She looked up at the suit of armor, "Right, Al?" The armor said nothing as they kept walking, Melody looked down to the ground in disappointment.

"Scar…? What do you think about me?" Al asked, Melody quirked a brow at him, Scar looked at him, obviously surprised by his question, "I mean, when we're talking do you… Do you sense anything? Do you think I'm human, even with this body?" Scar said nothing and kept walking. Al slumped. Melody put her hand on his arm and looked at him with sad eyes.

"Al… Is that what all this is about?" She asked, Al looked down at her, then followed Scar, "If that's the case, even with that body of yours, I know you're human." Al turned to look at her. "I've never met anyone like you, not because of what you are, but who you are. Never in all my life have I met someone who cared so much about the people he saw everyday, even complete strangers." She smiled, "You're the kindest person I ever met."

"Thank you, Melody." Al said, she walked up beside him. They looked and saw the two boys crouched down on the ground, looking for the locket.

"Come on, Rick, give it up." Leo said, "You're never gonna find it." Rick looked around, his eyes starting to tear up, when he spotted the locket a couple feet away. Melody bent down and picked it up.

"Is this what you're looking for?" She asked, Rick ran up to her and she handed him the locket.

"Thanks." He said, Melody patted his head.

"Don't mention it." She said, she followed them as they headed back to the camp. She stopped when Scar stopped, he took out a hand mirror and flashed it to the people waiting for them underneath the bridge. They flashed their mirror back.

"Okay, you two go in first." Scar said to the two brothers.

"Wait a second!" Rick said, he ran to the street behind him and checked to see if anyone was following them. "Okay, it's clear!" The second after he said it, two men in military uniforms jumped down from the roofs of the buildings above them. They grabbed Rick and started shooting at them, Al stood in front of Mel, Leo, and Scar and blocked the bullets. Melody pulled out her switchblade as more came down. One came up with a missile launcher sort of thing and fired, Melody was surprised she could keep her balance.

The soldiers came running up to them, attempting to attack, Alphonse kicked one of the men that tried to jump at them. He came back and tried to hit his head, but Al blocked it and knocked the gun away. One soldier came up and tried to jab at Melody with his gun, she dodged each of them and kicked him back. Another soldier took his gun and fired at them, Al stepped in front of Melody to block the shots. But Scar used his abilities to knock him down before he could.

"Let him go!" Al yelled at the men, "Now!" The men took Rick and ran off, throwing a smoke bomb at them. "Stop!" They heard a car screeching off. Melody and Al ran in its direction to see that the car had already sped away. Melody stamped her foot on the ground.

"Dammit all!" She cursed.

* * *

"So, they were mercenaries." Scar said as he drove the car.

"Yeah, they're using an old military installation on the outskirts of the city." Al said. "That's where Rick should be, too." He lowered his voice, "But Scar, are you sure we should be doing this? I mean, it's going to be kind of dangerous--"

"Hey!" Leo yelled, "You got some kind of problem with us coming along!"

"No, it's, uh…" Al couldn't think of what to say.

"You have to realize, stranger," The old man said, "Nothing is stronger to an Ishbalan than faith and loyalty to his kin. If the life of an old man can save the life of a boy, then I will freely give it up."

"He's right." Leo said, "Ishbalans protect their own, no matter what the cost is."

Melody sighed, "Yeah, but you're still a kid yourself, Leo, you shoulda stayed back." She said. Leo glared at her, and she glared back, "You've got a lot ahead of you, what if this little rescue is the end of the line, huh?" He turned around in his seat and ignored her. Melody sighed and laid back. Scar stopped the car and looked at a building on a hill.

"Over there." He said.

* * *

"Really! You heard from Al!" Winry asked Ross. Ed and Shane stood beside her as she talked on the phone.

"Yeah." She said, "And I think he may be involved in something very strange."

"What about Mel?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, is Melody with him?" Winry asked.

"I'm not sure, he didn't say anything about her being there." Ross replied, Shane slumped over.

"Dammit, Mel." He said under his breath, "You better be alive when I find you…"

* * *

Al used alchemy and transmuted bars between the mercenaries in the room, he used it again to make a hole in the wall, where Leo, the old man, and Melody grabbed Rick.

"So he's and alchemist, huh?" One of the men, apparently the leader, said. "Get him!" A group of men came up ready to strike, but Scar made another hole on the wall off to the side. The leader smirked, "I always love it when I'm right." Melody came up beside Al. The leader looked toward his men, "You and the others take care of the tin-can and his girlfriend," He looked at Scar, "This one's all mine!" He charged at Scar with his knife, and Scar was dodging his slices the best he could.

"So," A voice said, "We meet again, little brother." Melody turned and saw the suit of armor Al had fought before at Lab 5, who she had learned was the body of the soul of Barry the Chopper. "What are you doing here?" He asked as he charged at him. He sliced at him twice, Al dodged and blocked him. "Why bother fighting? You're not real! Just a collection of fabricated memories!" Melody came up and kicked him away.

"Liar!" She yelled at him, "Alphonse is just as real as I am!" Barry got up and started slicing at her.

"Once I put the both of you out of your misery," He yelled as she barely dodged his knives, "You won't have to worry about what's real and what's fake! Won't that be nice!" He laughed maniacally as he kept aiming for her. One of the soldiers fired a missile at the two as they fought Barry. The impact sent the two of them flying back.

Melody landed on her side, she looked up as Barry charged at her and Al. "You leave them alone!" A voice yelled. Melody saw Ed and Shane's bodies come up to protect them. Sparks flew as Ed's blade arm, and Shane's hunting knife collided with Barry's knives.

"Brother? What are you doing here?" Al asked.

"That's a stupid question!" Melody turned to see Winry was there, too. "We've been worried sick about you! He's been looking for you all over Central!"

Al looked over to Ed, "Brother…" He came up and kicked Barry backwards. Shane roughly grabbed Melody and pulled her up into an embrace.

"Shane…?" She asked softly.

"Goddammit, Mel, if you ever run off like that again, I swear, I'll break every bone in your body." Shane whispered, Melody looked at him, then she saw a group of soldiers with missile launchers.

"Shane! Get down!" She yelled.

"Fire!" A round of missiles were fired, Shane dove for the group that was watching the spectacle (Leo, The old man, Rick, and Winry) and Ed and Al transmuted a wall from the ground. The two of them stood with their backs against it.

"Al," Ed said, "All this time, I've been too afraid to ask you…" Al looked over at him, "But I need to know the truth, okay? It's my fault you don't have a real body anymore, do you hate me?" An explosion went off and Ed landed on the ground.

"What…?" Al asked.

"Do you?" Ed asked, not looking at his brother, "I wouldn't blame if you if you did, Al, but I gotta know, do you hate me for all that's happened?"

"That's what you've been trying to ask me?" Al asked.

"Behind you!" Melody yelled. Al turned and saw Barry coming down, preparing to strike. Al got ready to strike.

"Brother, I could never… I could never hate you!" Al yelled as he swung at Barry, he hit his face and damaged the armor. In Scar's battle, the leader used a machine that was strapped to his back, it shot out small knives connected to metal ropes. Electricity was sent through them and formed a transmutation circle on the ground. It brought up a ball of lightening and it shot at Scar. Instead of dying or exploding, or whatever was supposed to happen, Scar used his right arm and absorbed the impact.

"What…?" The leader looked dumbfounded. Scar grabbed the collar of his shirt and attempted to kill him, but instead, it flung him back with a very bloody face. He looked at himself and smiled, "I'm not dead. I guess, even a murderer with a reputation like he has, can make a mistake if he's in enough pain." He turned to where the other soldiers were, "Shoot! Somebody shoot him!" Unfortunately, all his men were stuck inside a cage made with alchemy. Edward stepped forward.

"Time to give up." He said, "It looks like you're the only one who's left here."

"Who the hell are you?" The man growled.

"Dog of the military." Ed said, "Just like you."

"You're a state alchemist?" The man asked, "But that doesn't make sense, we're on the same side."

"Well, this _is _a surprise." Barry said, "A real state alchemist! Please, allow me to thank you," He sat up and showed him his face with a large hole on the left side, "_For making me look like this!_" He got up and charged at Edward, Al stepped in front of his brother to guard him. Scar came running up and used his right arm to slice Barry in two. Barry landed on the machine on the leader's back, you could see his blood seal slowly disappearing as the machine gave off some of it's power. Barry yelled and moaned in pain as it happened, the man got up and tried to walk, even with Barry on his back.

"Stop it!" The man told him as the machine sparked, "Get off me!" He unbuckled the machine from himself and ran. Barry's body was covered in the small lightening that covered what was left of him as he screamed. The machine exploded, sending the knives inside it in all sorts of directions. Ed, Al, Winry, Shane, Rick, Leo, and the old man were lucky enough not to get hit. One knife hit Melody directly in her chest. Shane's eyes widened in fear as blood slowly seeped out from the wound and she fell over.

"No! Mel!" Shane yelled as he ran to her side. Al's eyes widened as he saw her fall.

"Melody!" He yelled as he ran over, Ed followed him. They ran over to her as her head was cradled gently in Shane's lap.

"No, Melody please…" Shane muttered as he looked at her, "You can't die, I'm beggin' ya." Melody didn't respond, "Please, Mel…" He whispered, "Don't, please…" Tears began to glisten in his eyes, "Mel, open your eyes! I'm beggin' ya! Please!" Melody's eyes flashed open and she gasped and coughed. She reached up to her chest and yanked out the knife with a pain-filled grunt.

"Arrgh!" She yelled, "Goddammit all! That hurt!" She clutched her chest, the wound was small, but it didn't hit anything. She gasped for air as Shane held her. He sat her up and hugged her. Melody looked over at him confusedly, "Shane…?" She asked as her eyes slowly flitted shut and she fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

Shane hefted Melody as he piggybacked her. They had wrapped up her wound with the gauze she had in her back pocket. She was still unconscious, but Ed said it was probably from shock, not anything serious. Shane smiled at the group of Ishbalans as they proceeded to head off.

"So, where will all of you go now?" Al asked.

"There's another group of our people living in hiding, free from the state, just like us." The old man said, "We'll travel down stream until we reach them." He looked over at Shane, "What did you say your name was again?"

"Shane." He said, the man smiled.

"Shane, you take good care of that girl you hold." He said, "Someone like her always leaves behind good memories with those who loved her." Shane blushed slightly.

"Yeah," Shane said, "That she does."

"She's also good at pointing out the right things." Al said, "Because of her, from now on, I'll know my memories are real. I'll have faith in that."

"Alphonse Elric." Scar said, "Earlier, I did sense something. Tears that can't be seen, but felt. Those tears were human."

"Thank you." Al said.

"Hey, Scar." Edward said, "So tell me something, did the Ishbalan people ever possess the philosopher's stone? Is that the real truth? And then the military came after it?"

"No, Ed." Scar answered, "It's the other way around. We wanted the stone to keep the military from wiping out our race and our way of life."

"But did you create one?" Ed asked, "The philosopher's stone…" Scar said nothing.

"Let's get going." Scar said, and they pushed off.

"Hey hold on!" Ed yelled, "I want an answer!"

"Brother, let him go." Al said, "Those people need Scar, he can help them." Ed stared as the boats left. He turned to his younger brother.

"Al, let's get going." He said, Al nodded.

"Right." He said, the group walked down the road as they headed over to where they were staying. Shane still piggybacking Melody, walking next to Winry, who was walking behind Ed and Al.

"You know, Al." Edward said, "I've been thinking, we used to fight over the dumbest things didn't we?"

"Yeah, like who got to sleep in the top bunk." Al said.

"I remember," Ed laughed, "I lost that one."

"What about the time we fight over toys? I won." Al said.

"We used to fight over candy, too, right?" Ed laughed, then he stopped, "Hey, I never won any of 'em!" Everybody but Ed laughed. Shane looked over at Melody, who was still resting against his back. Her breathing was steady, she had probably just fallen asleep at this point. He nudged her slightly, she didn't wake up. Shane sighed. "Oh, by the way, Shane, I forgot to ask." Edward looked over at him, "How did our little plan work out? What'd she say?" Shane shrugged.

"She accused me of trying to mess with you." He said, Ed quirked an eyebrow, "She remembered that blondes are bit of a turn-off for me." He looked over at Winry, "No offense." Winry stuck her tongue out at him. Shane laughed.

"So, it didn't work?" Ed asked, Shane shook his head.

"Apparently not." He said, "She probably won't even think about my feelings for her for a good long while." He looked back at the girl who slept on his shoulders. "But, for now, that's okay." They continued to walk.


	16. Chapter 16

16

Melody's eyes fluttered open. She saw four pairs of eyes staring back at her. She blinked, then she smiled. "Morning." She said groggily, she attempted to sit up, but felt a sharp pang in her chest, she hissed.

"Careful." Shane said, he put one hand on her shoulder, the other on her back and helped her sit up. "That wound you got might hurt for a while." He smiled, "But knowing how stubborn you are, you'll probably be out of that bed somewhere this afternoon." She smirked at him. She closed her eyes as she leaned back and put her hands behind her head.

"Damn right I will." She said, "I'm not staying in here all day." She opened one eye to see Shane smiling out of pure happiness. "And you're happy about that, why?" Shane looked at her.

"You think I want my best friend lying around in some bed all day against their will?" He said, "Not a chance." Melody giggled.

"Good." She said, she closed her eyes and she giggled again, "I guess what they say about laughter being the best medicine is true, the pain's already dulling."

"Good to hear." Edward said. He sat on the side of the bed, "Hey, Mel?" She peeked one eye open, "I was wondering, that place you said you were from, do you even want to go back?" Melody opened both eyes wide. Shane snorted.

"That's a dumb question." He said, "You must not know her at all if you're going to ask her that." Edward and Melody looked over at him.

"Oh? So you know the answer?" Ed asked, Shane nodded.

"Yes, she doesn't want to stay," Shane said, "She wants to go home, to her mom and brother." He looked over in her direction, "Right, Mel?" Melody looked away from him, Shane's certainty turned to confusion and surprise as she said nothing, "Mel…?"

"A-actually," She said, "I-I don't really want to go home… I kinda wanna stay…" Shane looked at her in disbelief, "I-I like it here, back home I already knew about everywhere else, but here… here there's so many things I've never seen, things I've never heard of. I wanna learn about them…" She still didn't look in his direction.

"And what about when you find out about that stuff?" He asked, his voice filled with venom, "What then? Will you try to get home, or will you just stay here!" Melody didn't look at him.

"I don't know…" She muttered, Shane's hands turned into clenched fists.

"You don't know!" He yelled, "How can you not know! Is this where you want to stay fer the rest of your life! Do you want to die here!" Melody stood up and faced his hatred-filled eyes.

"I'll figure something out." She said, she stared back at him with stern eyes.

"No you won't." He said, "You never think things through, that's why you were where you were back home, getting yourself beaten by gangs! Getting thrown into detention every damn day! Getting called a bitch by everyone you ever met! And the reason _you're without a father!_" Melody's eyes widened and she slapped him across his face. Shane's eyes were wide, Alphonse stood completely still, Winry put her hand over her mouth, Edward gawked at them. Shane stood still for a moment, then he turned his head back to Melody to see her eyes ready to burst in tears.

"Don't you _dare_ drag my father into this." She said, her voice quivering and cracking. Shane stood up straight and glared down at her.

"But it's the truth." He said, "You said so yourself on that one day, 'it's my fault, it's my fault.'" Melody put her hand into a fist as one tear rolled down her cheek.

"You bastard!" She shrieked, she brought her hand up and punched him, he fell to the ground. Winry ran over to help him up. Melody ran out of the room, tears following her as she left. Shane heard her run out and as he got up Winry gasped.

"What?" He asked, putting a hand up to wipe his nose, and it got a smear of blood on it, she had given him a bloody nose. "Damn…" He muttered holding his hand to his nose. He got up to clean himself off in the bathroom.

Melody rushed down the halls, not looking where she was going, her eyes were too wet to tell anyways. She just wanted to get away from Shane. Her memories of her father came rushing back to her; it only made her cry more. She ran into someone who grabbed her shoulders to stop her.

"Miss Melody?" She looked up and met the concerned eyes of Lieutenant Ross. "Is everything okay?" Melody grabbed her uniform and sobbed into it. Ross put her hands comfortingly around the girl's back. "Melody, what's wrong?" She asked, Melody sniffled before answering.

"Shane, he…" She sniffed again.

"What? Did he do something to you? What was it?" Ross asked quickly, worried for the poor girl.

"We-we were fighting…" Melody sniffled again, "He-he said I-I… M-My dad's dead because of me…" She sobbed again, "He was the one who said it wasn't my fault!" Ross held her until she finally calmed down.

* * *

Shane held the tissues to his nose as they slowly took in his blood. "Dabbit all." He said, his voice changed from the fact he couldn't breathe out of his nose, "That girl cad really hit…"

"Well, maybe if you hadn't said what you said," Winry scolded, "She wouldn't have hit you." She handed him a new wad of tissues. Shane nodded in thanks.

"Don't rebind me." Shane said, he sighed, "I just… There are a lot of people waiting for her back home, and I guess…" He put his head in his hands, "I guess I thought she wanted to see them as badly as I did." He gripped his hair, "She prob'ly hates me now…"

"Doubt it." Edward said, Shane looked up at him, "Melody's a good kid. I doubt she hates you, she probably only hates what you _said_." Ed smiled, "I bet if you just apologize, she'll be fine." Winry snorted.

"Really, Ed?" She asked, "Just an apology? It's going to take a lot more than that! You heard what he said, didn't you? Imagine if someone said the same thing to you about your mother! Would an apology just fix it?" Ed scowled at her, then his face turned impassive.

"Depends on who it is." He said, "If some random stranger said that, I'd probably kill them. If it was you, or Al, or even Shane an apology would fix it." He looked over at Shane, "How long have you two known each other?"

"Since I was six." Shane said.

"And you've been friends from then 'till now?" Ed asked, Shane nodded. "Then if you apologize, she'll accept it." Shane shook his head.

"No, it's gonna take a lot more than that." He said, he sighed again, "You see… It actually, sort of, _is_ her fault. The death was marked as an accident, but she was the cause of it, from what I understand." Shane proceeded to tell the group of how Melody's father met her death.

* * *

Melody and Ross sat on a bench in the hall. Ross consoling a still sniveling Melody. Melody wiped her nose on her arm. "I'm sorry about what happened." Ross said, her hand on the girl's shoulder, "I'll speak with Mr. Trublood if you like." Melody shook her head.

"No! It's okay, Lieutenant!" She said, "I said some stuff that provoked him. It's my fault he brought it up, anyway." She sighed, "I just need some time to myself, I'll be on the roof if anyone asks." Melody got up from her seat and headed toward the door that lead to the roof.

* * *

Winry had a shocked look on her face, as did Ed, and Al would look surprised, too, if he could've been. Shane looked at the bathroom floor, "And that's… what actually happened…?" Winry asked. Shane nodded.

"Yep, it was filed as an accidental death, and that was it." Shane said, "Case closed, the end." He stood up, "I think my nose has stopped bleeding now." He walked over to the door. "If you need me, I'll be on the roof."

* * *

Melody sighed as she leaned over the railing on the rooftop. A light breeze made her long hair fly behind her slightly. _He didn't have to go and say that_, she thought, _I guess it is sort of my fault, though. I just don't wanna go home, is that so bad? I like this place better, no music killers to worry about, no farm work to be done, and there's completely new places to explore._ She looked up at the clear blue sky._ Maybe I'm just being selfish, I should go apologize…_ She heard the door creak and she turned her head to see a mess of black hair come through. Shane looked over at her, neither of them moving until Shane shut the door and walked over to her, she did the same.

The two of them stood in front of each other, both with awkward expressions on their faces. At the same time, they said the same thing, but followed with different words.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said, I--" Shane said.

"I'm sorry about what happened, I just--" Melody said. The two stopped and looked at each other with smiles on their faces, "You first." Melody said, Shane nodded.

"I'm sorry about what I said, Mel." Shane said, "What I said was wrong, it's not your fault, I know it's not. I deserved that slap you gave me, I'm really, really, really sorry." Shane looked down at the floor. "Your turn."

"I'm sorry I said I didn't want to go home." Melody said, "I know there are people waiting for me, but I was being selfish because I wanted to stay. If you want to try and take me home, I'll go with you, I just want a chance to--" She was cut off by Shane's embrace, "Shane?"

"The hell you apologizin' for?" Shane asked. "You have every right to want to stay, I was just being a selfish moron thinkin' that you--"

"No, I was being selfish!" Melody interrupted, "I wanted to stay here, and you weren't the only one waiting for me at home! I was being a brat and--"

"Mel, you have every right to want to stay!" Shane interrupted, "I forgot about the crap back home, and I… I just want you to be happy." Melody pulled away from his embrace.

"Why?" She asked, Shane smiled at her.

"Because I love seeing your smiling face." Shane said, "You smile every day, and every time you do, I just… I get this smile on my face. When you laugh, I laugh. It works like that, so seeing you happy makes me happy."

"Why does that make you happy?" Melody asked, Shane pulled her back into his embrace.

"Because I care about you, Mel." Shane said in a low voice, Melody pulled away and looked to see him blushing.

"Shane…?" Shane kept blushing.

"I-I really do, if you don't feel the same, I understand." Shane said, Melody blushed, she put her hand to her mouth.

"Oh…" She took a step away from him, Shane felt his heart breaking. He sighed.

"Don't worry, I get it." Shane said, walking to the door, "Sorry I brought it up, I'll just--"

"Liar." Shane looked around and saw her still blushing face, "You're lying, you don't like me like that." Shane walked up to her.

"Why do you think I'm lying?" He asked.

"Because, I'm… me." She said, "I'm not pretty, I'm not real smart, I'm no girly girl." She looked up at him, "The only thing I am is some violin player with drawing skills, that's it. What could possibly make you like me like that?" Shane smiled.

"You and your esteem…" He muttered, "Mel, you are pretty. Gorgeous, even. And you're smart, too, and I don't know any girl who can throw punches like you, and still look good in a skirt." Melody blushed. "Mel, it's the things that don't make you like every other pretty face that I like you."

"You… you really mean that?" She asked timidly. Shane planted a quick kiss on her cheek, Melody blushed a deep scarlet.

"You tell me." Shane said, Melody smiled at him, "Are you saying that _this_ is okay?" He pecked her other cheek.

"Yes…" Melody said, Shane leaned in and Melody leaned in with him. It was slow, and they both hesitated for a moment, but they gave each other a light, innocent kiss. They pulled away to see both of their blushing faces. Melody giggled, and Shane chuckled. He held out his hand for hers, and she took it.

"So…" He started, "Does this mean you forgive me?" He asked sheepishly. Melody smiled and kept walking. She tightened her grip on his hand just the slightest.

"Yes, I forgive you, so long as you forgive me." She said, Shane nodded.

"Then we're good." He said, "No more problems."

* * *

Shane and Melody walked back hand in hand to Ed's room. As they were approaching, they saw Hughes and Armstrong coming in, Hughes smiled once he saw them. "Well, well!" He said, "I never thought I would see the day! Melody and Blood-boy!" Melody blushed slightly.

"Yeah, I guess." She said.

"Are you going to call me that for the rest of my life?" Shane growled, "Knock it off already, Hughes!" He just laughed in response.

"Sorry, sorry," He said, he walked over and put a hand on Shane's shoulder, "You better take good care of her, otherwise I know some other perfectly nice boys who will."

"Hey!" Shane shrugged him off, "Don't worry about it, she's mine and I plan to keep it that way." Shane smirked. Melody turned away, blushing even more.

"How beautiful!" Armstrong exclaimed, Melody and Shane jumped, "Young love is truly beautiful when it fully blooms like a red rose! A bond between you that cannot be broken, no matter what may come!" Armstrong swept them both into one arm hugs, "The way you care for one another is more lovely than that of a sunset, I do hope you stay together for years to come!" Hughes, Shane, and Melody sweat dropped. Hughes put a hand on Armstrong's shoulder.

"Okay, I know love between kids is cute," He said, "But let's not forget why we came here." He held up a green book. Armstrong released the teens and they looked at Hughes.

"What's in there?" Melody asked, Hughes tucked it under his arm.

"Some information on everyone who worked in lab five." He said, "We were going to go and tell Ed, you wanna come with?" Melody nodded and followed after them, and Shane followed her.

* * *

"Alright." Ed said looking at the book, "So, all the higher up officers, who we assume were in lab five's chain of command, either died, or fell off the map."

"You'll note that the criminal with the oroboros tattoo isn't on that list." Hughes said.

"The scientists who worked under Dr. Marcoh aren't on the list." Armstrong said, "Maybe they were thought not to have enough information individually to be a threat. If we can find them…"

"Leave it to me." Hughes said, Melody noticed Ed and Al sharing a glance before turning back to Hughes and Armstrong.

"Um, about that…" Al said.

"The thing is," Edward said, "we honestly don't care about that stuff anymore." Everyone looked at them with widened eyes.

"What do you mean you don't care?" Winry asked, putting her hands on her hips, "Are you crazy?"

"We just don't think we should have to deal with dangerous things anymore." Ed shrugged, "Like the philosopher's stone, or homunculi."

"Yeah," Al said, "We thought it would be better to look for a different way, you know?"

"Well, guys, it would definitely be better," Melody said, "but if you thought there was another way, what'd you go to all this trouble for?"

"Who knows, maybe there's not." Edward said, "But there's someone we should ask."

"Our original teacher." Al said, Shane quirked a brow.

"You mean, the person who taught you alchemy?" Shane asked, Al nodded.

"She lives south of here." Ed stated, "In a place called Dublith, we're planning on taking a trip there."

"But it's just so sudden--" Hughes stopped Armstrong before he could continue.

"Sounds like fun." Melody said, "You guys better not leave without me, I'd love to see this Dublith place." Shane smirked at her.

"If she's going, so am I." He said, "I want to see this place, too, and I'm very interested in this teacher of yours. I'd like to have a lil' meet n' greet." Ed looked over at the two in exasperation.

"No way." he said, "I don't need extra baggage, forget it."

"We can take care of ourselves, Ed." Melody said.

"Yeah, we've got cash, we'll use it," Shane said, "You won't have to pay for anything of ours. We'll get our own hotel rooms, our own tickets, the works."

"Well--" Ed was interrupted by Melody.

"If you don't let us, Ed, we'll just follow you." She said, "We'll keep train hopping until we get to where you're going." He sighed.

"Alright, you can come with us." He said, "But you're paying for your own stuff." Melody smiled.

"I can deal with that." She said. Winry gasped and everyone looked over at her as she gawked at a map on the wall.

"There, on the way to Dublith…" She shook as she pointed at a certain spot on the map.

"What is it, Winry?" Al asked. Winry twirled around in excitement.

"Only the world wide mecha of automail, Rush Valley!" She squealed, Edward stood up as Winry started jumping up and down on the bed like a child, "You really gotta take me there, you gotta!" She tugged on the end of Ed's red coat, "I've always wanted to go!" She made big eyes at him, "Come on, you guys, please!"

"Vacation on your own time, okay?" Edward told her. She put her hands on her hips as she scowled.

"Well, then who would pay my travel expenses?" She asked.

"Very funny!" Edward said.

"We can manage it." Al said, "It's on the way, like she said." Ed sighed.

"Okay, fine." He muttered. Winry threw her arms up in the air.

"Hooray!" She squealed. Melody laughed at her behavior. As Hughes and Armstrong left, the door was held open just enough to over hear their conversation with Block and Ross.

"So, they're finally going to quit throwing themselves into dangerous situations they don't need to be in." Block said, "Must've learned their lesson from seeing the trouble we had to go through as their bodyguards, that's my bet."

"It would be a perfect ending, if they actually meant what they said." Hughes replied.

"They told us that to protect us," Armstrong said, "so we don't become the next victims on the list."

"It's easy to forget they're kids, sometimes." Hughes said. Melody smiled, _You got that right._ She thought.

* * *

Shane stood next to Melody as they made their goodbyes to Ross, Block, Armstrong, and the Hughes family along with the Elrics and Winry. Melody stood in front of Gracia, who was holding Elysia, who was saying goodbye to Mel. "Are you really gonna leave?" Elysia asked, Melody nodded.

"It's only for a little while, don't worry." She said, "When I come back, I promise, we'll get to spend the whole day together playing whatever you want, how does that sound?"

"You promise?" Elysia asked, Melody held up her pinky and intertwined it with hers.

"I promise." She said, Elysia smiled and Melody hugged her and Gracia goodbye.

"Have a safe trip." Gracia said, Melody nodded. She came up to Hughes, and smiled at him.

"Safe travels." Hughes said, "And be sure to keep Blood-boy in line for me, he's always so slow." Melody smiled and nodded before she hugged him.

"You know, Hughes…" She said quietly, "After everything that's happened, I can say that you've been like a second father to me." Hughes' eyes widened and he returned the embrace. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Hughes said before he released her, "Hope you enjoy that pie Gracia made for you, have fun!" Melody nodded. She got in with Ed, Al, Winry, and Shane and waved goodbye as the train left the station.

* * *

"What do you mean we're not going to Dublith?" Shane asked, looking down at Ed. Shane sat in the booth beside Melody, and behind Ed and Winry, who sat across from Al. Melody sighed and put her chin on top of her arms as she leaned over the side of the booth's seat.

"Why am I not surprised that you guys were lying?" She questioned to herself, "I must be getting used to it…"

"So, where are you going?" Winry asked, Ed looked out the train window.

"We've learned about a pretty sizable Ishballan refugee camp hidden in the mountains to the south." He said, "I think Scar and the others might've gone there after the mercenaries attacked."

"You're going after Scar…?" Winry asked quietly, Al turned to her.

"It's been said that a philosopher's stone was created in Ishbal." Al told her, "But no one ever taught them alchemy. In fact, their culture rejected it, so we think they may have made it some other way. A completely different method."

"I'm gonna beat the pulp outta him." Edward said, still looking out the window, "And force him to tell me their secret." Melody looked over at him.

"Yeah, Ed, about Scar…" She said, "He really isn't such a terrible guy."

"He's murdered dozens of people." Ed replied, "And he's done it by using alchemy, I can't forgive him for that." Ed slumped back into his seat. Melody sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. I know." She muttered, "But when you put yourself in his shoes, he's got a pretty legitimate reason to." Ed snorted and she stuck her tongue out at him. "Fine, don't listen to my reason, sulk in your teenage angst all you want, like I care." Ed shot her a look and she stuck out her tongue again.

"C'mon Mel, be mature." Shane said putting his hand on the top of her head, she moved it off with a small smirk.

"Aw, lay off, you're no more mature than I am." She said. Shane smiled at her, "If I want to act my shoe size instead of my age, I will."

"Fine, but you look like an idiot sticking your tongue out like that." He said, Melody nudged his shoulder.

"Shut up, you know you love me." She said, Shane put his arm around her shoulder.

"Aye, that I do." He said, everyone looked up at their small display. Edward smirked.

"So, what, you two are dating now?" He asked, Shane shrugged.

"We have yet to have an actual _date_, but yes." He said, "We are, technically, dating." Edward smiled.

"Huh, knew you liked each other." He said, Melody's cheeks were a light shade of pink.

"I think it's sweet." Winry said, "Friends becoming boyfriend and girlfriend like that, you guys make a nice couple." Melody's pink cheeks caught onto Shane's.

"Thanks, Win." Melody said, "Hey, I'm a little hungry, can we eat that pie that Mrs. Hughes gave us?" Winry took the cover off the basket she was carrying that had the homemade apple pie in it.

"Yeah, sure." She said, she handed a piece to her, "Do you want one, Shane?" He nodded and took a piece from her, Winry held out a third piece for Ed, "How about you, Ed?" Ed took the piece from her and bit into it.

"Hmm, I guess that's what they call a mother's touch." He said, "I could eat this stuff all day."

"That Mr. and Mrs. Hughes and their cute little daughter, Elysia," Winry said, "That had to be the perfect family." Melody nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, definitely." She said.

"C'mon perfect?" Ed said, "The guy's nosy and obsessed with his kid. He's annoying." He took another bite out of his pie slice.

"You like him." Al said, "He came to see us all the time."

"Yet he's always complaining about how busy he is." Ed replied, "I'm telling you, the big goof doesn't make any sense."

"Why do you think he cared so much about us, though?" Al asked, "Seriously?"

"Beats me." Edward replied. He stared out the window.

"Really, Ed." Winry scolded, "You better tell him thanks when we get back to Central." Ed wasn't listening to her; he was staring at a man he saw on a building they were passing. He wore a brown suit and a red-collared shirt, he had dark hair, a scruffy beard, and a pair of glasses. He was Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. He was waving goodbye at the train. When they passed, Ed looked back out the window to see if he was still there. He didn't see anything.

"Ed?" Winry asked as he sat back down.

"Did you see something, brother?" Al asked. Ed looked out the window for another second, and then turned back to his younger brother.

"No." He happily plopped the last of his pie in his mouth.


	17. Chapter 17

17

Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye stood in the former hospital room of Edward Elric. Ross stood in front of them, "I'm sorry to have to bother you with this, Colonel, but here." She said as she handed him an envelope, "This comes directly from Ed Elric." Mustang took the envelope and opened it to find a bunch of small papers underneath a letter where 'invoice' was underlined at the top.

"An invoice?" He asked, Ross stood straight.

"He wants eastern headquarters to reimburse him for everything." She said, "Hospitalization, medication, travel, and other assorted expenses." Hawkeye took the paper from him and looked at the receipts inside, flipping through them. She narrowed her eyes at one.

"Junk-food…" She glanced at a box filled with empty containers of sugary snacks, she flipped to the next, "Literature…" She saw a box filled with comic books, she flipped to the next one, "And an awful lot of unexplained receipts from toy stores…" Mustang looked over at a box filled with plastic toy animals, trains, and various other things. He looked over at Lieutenant Ross.

"And now, where are they?" He asked.

"A trip." Ross replied, "They're searching for a different method to restore their bodies. They'll contact us when they're ready, Colonel, sir. Sorry."

"I'm asking where they went!" Mustang said, glaring at her sternly. Ross didn't reply.

"Colonel." Hawkeye said, getting their attention, she pointed to a map on the wall, where a spot had been marked in red, "Look here." Mustang began to walk over to where she was but stopped once the door to the hospital room opened, showing a woman with long black hair in multiple braids, standing in front of a large, muscled man with a scary-looking face and a beard.

"Take me to the Elrics, right now!" She exclaimed, Hawkeye put her hand on her gun. Everyone stared at her for a moment before responding.

"They're gone." Ross told her.

"Where are they?" The woman demanded.

"Um, just who…" Ross stuttered with her words from her surprise, "Just who are you?"

"Hey." A deep voice said, the group looked to see the man holding up the map that had previously been on the wall. The woman looked and saw where it had been marked.

"Ah." She gave him a thumbs up, "Good job honey, let's go." She and the man walked out of the room with the map, leaving a few confused military officers.

* * *

Melody, Shane, Edward, Alphonse, and Winry stood underneath a red sign that read 'Rush Valley' in big white letters. They traveled down the streets of the first shopping district they saw, Winry sighed in happiness, her hands were clasped together in front of her, a happy tinge of pink on her cheeks.

"I can't believe it…!" she said looking around, "Rush Valley…!" Melody glanced over at Ed, who had taken off his usual coat and his black tank top was showing off his shining metal automail.

"Are you sure you wanna walk around like that?" She asked him, he looked up at her, "You're automail's out in the open without your coat on." Ed smirked and shrugged.

"You're forgetting, this is the capital of automail." He said, "For someone _not_ to have automail around here is abnormal. It's fine." Melody shrugged.

"I guess you've got a point." She said, they heard a squeal and looked over to see a woman in a red dress with stars in her eyes as she eyed something in a window.

"Perfect!" She squirmed in excitement, "It's the latest design from Ruby studios! I didn't think it'd be here, look at the size of that rock!" She looked up to a man in a white suit, "Will you buy it for me, please?" The man chuckled.

"Oh, you bet, baby." He said. Shane shorted.

"Man, some girls get way too excited." He said, they heard another squeal and looked over to see Winry eying an automail arm in a store window, with stars in her eyes, squirming in excitement.

"It's perfect!" She exclaimed, "The latest design from God's automail, and will you look at the precision of those lines! I have to have it! Oh, that is so cool!" The group stared at her behavior.

"Yeah, I think you were right." Melody said, after about five minutes of gawking, Winry decided to check out the rest of the shops, Melody wasn't really paying attention as she ranted on and on about the automail she saw. She was thinking more about what had happened since she got here.

She had been having the greatest adventure of her life, she had made friends with a pair of alchemists, she had seen monsters that would have never existed in her world for a thousand years, and on top of all that, the same strange phenomena had happened to her previous best friend, who was now her boyfriend. Her thoughts traveled to her home, to her mother and baby brother. She missed them, she really did. Louis had probably gotten used to being an only child by now, and her mother had probably gotten another boyfriend.

She thought about Andrew and Andrea, she wondered how they were doing in law school. She knew that the criminal justice system was something she never wanted to take part in, but they did. Their uncle had been a successful cop, and they loved him like a second father, so when they came to visit him, he would always tell them stories about his glory days, and rile them up. She missed them a lot, too.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she saw a huge crowd and heard a man speaking through the crowd. "Step right up!" He yelled, "Rush Valley's famous automail arm-wrestling competition returns! The entry fee is a measly ten-thousand sens, and if you can beat the reigning champ, you win the jackpot!" The group of teens headed over to see the spectacle. "Come on, now! Don't miss your chance!"

"Excuse me…" Al said as the kids weaved through the crowd to get front-row seats to the competition. The champ that was taking the challenges was a huge man with two gigantic automail arms to match his huge shoulders. He had brown hair, and it was clear he was thinning because of the two spots on his head. The man who was announcing the competition was a smaller man with a Hawaiian shirt on and he held a megaphone. Melody gawked at the size of the jackpot, that had to be at least four hundred thousand sens in that pile!

A man walked up to them, "I wanna piece of that." He placed his automail arm down on the table.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a challenger!" The man said, the larger one cracked his neck with a cocky smile on his face. The challenger and the champ grabbed onto one another and got ready, "This should be good!" He placed his hand over theirs, "Ready… fight!" He moved his hand as the arm wrestling match began, a few minutes after the fight, the table smashed, and the man's arm was pinned on the ground. The crowd cheered at the show, Edward frowned slightly as he watched the match's loser walk away.

Soon, another man came up to challenge him, and it ended the same way, this time, Melody noticed the man who had announced it had placed his hand under the table before the match started. The table smashed and the champ brought down his arm. Alphonse leaned over to his brother, "Brother, is that…?"

"Yeah." Edward said, Melody glanced at the two before going back to watching the next match, which ended the same way. The champ stood up, showing off his automail arms, "I guess it's to be expected." A new challenger came up, this time it was a dark skinned girl with short hair and an automail arm. She wore a black tank top, camouflage pants, and a pair of big black boots. She looked nervous.

"Hey, little girl." The champ said, "You sure you wanna do this with that piece of junk?" A young man in the crowd spoke up.

"If it was made by that old man," He said tauntingly, "She'd probably have a better chance just using her real arm." The people around him laughed, the girl glared at him.

"I wanna see a good, clean fight." The announcer said as he placed his hand under the table again. "Ready… fight!" The match started, the champ grinning. The girl grunted and the automail creaked as she arm wrestled him.

She pushed and the hands started to move so the champ was losing, and his grin faltered. He pushed back, but the hand didn't move, instead she pushed again, and the hands went further down. The champ glanced at the announcer and he looked back. He glanced down at the table before it smashed, and the girl lost. The crowd cheered.

"Oh, very close." The announcer said. The girl lay on the ground to catch her breath.

"If you want," The champ said, "I can give you the name of a good mechanic." He laughed heartily as the girl shot a glare at him before getting up and running off.

"Is there no one else who dares to challenge the champ?" The announcer asked. "What about you, sir?" He looked over at Al, "Sure, you look big and strong, but how'd you like to prove it?"

"You mean me?" Al asked, he waved his hands in front of him, "N-No, no thank you!"

"That's too bad." The man said, "What about…? Naw, I couldn't possibly ask this shrimp," One of Ed's blood vessels popped at the name, "to take on the champ! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"I'M NOT A SHRIMP!" Ed yelled. Al held him back before he went to kill the man; he was squirming to get out the whole time.

"Whoa, you're a pretty feisty shrimp aren't you?" He asked, "But it looks like you salvaged that automail from the bottom of the scrap heap!" Winry glared at him with murderous eyes.

"Alphonse, let go of you brother." She said, or rather growled. Al sweat dropped.

"Yes ma'am." He said as he put Ed down. He walked up to the table, still glaring. Melody sighed, how bad can this guy's temper get?

"Edward!" Winry called, "If you lose, I'll kick your ass!"

"Wrestlers, take your stances!" The announcer said, Ed still glared at the man as they linked arms. "Ready… fight!" The match started and seconds later, Ed pulled off the man's automail hand. Everyone stared at what had just happened with gaping mouths. The two men shook as they looked at the remains of the champion's arms. Edward held the dangling hand in his.

"I forget," He said, "Now whose automail belongs in a scrap heap?" He threw the arm behind him and the crowd cheered for him. The men hung their heads in shame. Winry stared for a minute, and then smiled with that same happy tinge of pink on her cheeks as before.

"Take that!" She said happily. Shane cheered for Ed, as did Melody.

* * *

Melody looked up at the sky, her hand in Shane's, twilight hour was here and the sky had turned a lovely shade of orange. She smiled, this was one of her favorite times of the day. She, Shane, Edward, Alphonse, and Winry had been walking around after booking a hotel after Ed won the arm-wrestling match. Because Shane and Melody said they would take care of themselves, they booked their own room, with two beds (much to Shane's displeasure). Ed, Al, and Winry had the room next to them.

"Five hundred and ten thousand sens!" Winry said, holding up the bag with the jack pot. "I can hardly believe it! It's perfect!" She started skipping and wiggling in joy, the bag jingling with every step. "Now you can buy me all those new automail parts I've been looking at!" She twirled around and smiled at Ed, who stopped and looked at her. "You know," She glanced down at the automail she made for him, "It made me really happy." She looked back at Ed to see him blushing.

"Yeah? What did?" He asked.

"Nevermind." Winry said, giggling she twirled back around and kept walking. Melody noticed Ed still had his blush as they followed her. Shane rolled his eyes.

"How dumb can he get?" He whispered to Melody, who giggled. Ed turned sharply at them.

"What was that?" He asked, Shane waved it off.

"Nothin', nothin'." Shane said, "Don't worry about it." Melody giggled again, and Ed glared at the two. They stopped walking as they saw two men step in front of their path. Melody recognized them right away.

"You guys again?" Winry questioned, staring at the two men from the arm wrestling competition.

"Yeah, thanks a lot for humiliating us!" The man in the Hawaiian shirt said, he held out his hand as the former champion cracked his automail knuckles, "Now give us back the money, unless you want jumbo here to get angry!"

"No way!" Winry yelled at them, Ed and Al came rushing up and stood in front of her, Shane and Melody came up, too.

"Yeah, that's our money!" Melody yelled, "He won your little contest fair and square!"

"Yeah, right!" The man yelled back, he pointed at Ed, "I know for a fact that little shrimp cheated us to win!"

"Hah! You've used alchemy to cheat people out of their money!" Ed yelled, pointing back.

"And you used it to cheat back!" He yelled, Winry blinked twice and looked at Ed.

"Alchemy, Ed?" She asked, "Is that true?"

"Yeah." Ed grumbled, not looking at her.

"Did you guys know about this?" Winry asked Al, Melody, and Shane. Shane shook his head, and so did Melody.

"What? Yeah." Al said, Winry lowered her face so her eyes were covered by her blond bangs.

"Oh…" She turned to Ed, "Edward?"

"Yeah?" She took a wrench and clocked him, he fell over pretty quickly.

"Winry!" Al exclaimed, she hit him, too.

"Have you lost your damn mind?" Shane yelled, and he quickly fell to the ground with a new, wrench-shaped bump on his head. She looked toward the two men who screamed as she beat them to a bloody pulp. Ed groaned as he got up.

"That hurt…" he looked over at Winry, "Hey, whaddaya think you're tryin' to-!" He was cut off as Winry knocked him over again, Alphonse ran over to help him. Winry turned to him before she left.

"You're such a jerk." She said, and she walked off. Leaving a twitching, unconscious Ed, a confused Al, a worried Melody, and bruised Shane.

* * *

Ed, Al, and Shane sat on a cliff that overlooked the town. It was late, and Melody had gone to look for Winry. Shane was nervous about letting her go alone, but she insisted she'd be okay. He was still worried now, she said she would be back before she went to bed, but it was getting close to ten o' clock, and there still wasn't any sign of her.

"I can't believe Winry's not back yet." Al said, looking up at the moon.

"Or Melody…" Shane said, "I hope she's alright…" a moment of silence followed before Al spoke again.

"You know," He said, "It _was_ wrong to use alchemy in that contest."

"Well, I only did it 'cuz those conmen were cheating." Ed replied. Al looked over at him.

"Yeah, but…" He stopped and looked back up at the moon, "I wonder why she was so upset."

"It's obvious." Shane said, the Elrics looked over at him, "It's because you cheated in that match instead of fighting fair, even if they were conning everyone else. She's upset because you made her think her automail that she made for you was a thousand times better than what he had, only to find out you cheated." Ed stared at him, then looked back at the city with a guilty look on his face.

"I'll be sure to apologize when she gets back." He muttered, Shane nodded.

"You better." He said.

* * *

Melody walked down the dark streets of Rush Valley, looking for her mechanic-loving blonde friend. She saw her sitting on a bench with the dark-skinned girl from before. She was about to call for Winry when she heard her say something.

"The only reason I entered that stupid thing," The girl said, "was to prove his automail… was the best…" She slumped her head down. Melody felt sympathy for the girl, so she stayed quiet and listened to the conversation between her and Winry.

"Well, I've got it." Winry said, the girl sat back up and looked at her, "All you need is some other way to show everyone what your automail is capable of."

"Yeah," The girl replied, "Easier said than done." Winry looked over at her with a determined smile on her face.

"What if you could show up a state alchemist, who also happens to be the reigning champ now?" She said, "Wouldn't that prove beyond a doubt how awesome your equipment is?"

"And how can I pull that one off?" The girl asked.

"Don't worry." Winry said, "You have me." Melody took a deep breath, she's going to kill that poor boy. She walked over to them, Winry turned and saw her, "Melody?" Melody smiled.

"Hey." She walked over and put a hand against the bench she and the girl were sitting on, "You doing alright?" Winry nodded. "You seemed really pissed earlier."

"Well, I was." She said, crossing her arms and pouting, Melody laughed. "I have every right to be."

"I know, I know." Melody said, "I don't blame you for being mad, if I was in your position, I probably would've done the same thing." She looked over to the other girl, "What's up? You're that chick from the fight, huh?" She nodded, Melody held out her hand, "I'm Melody, nice to meet you." She smiled and shook her hand.

"I'm Paninya." She said, "It's a pleasure." She looked over at Winry, "I don't know your name either." Winry smiled.

"Winry Rockbell, nice to meet you Paninya." She said as they shook hands, "Why don't you take me back to your place and I'll fix up that arm of yours?" Paninya nodded and she got up.

* * *

Melody twiddled with the phone cord as she waited for Shane to pick up, he picked up on the second ring. "Hello?" Melody smiled.

"Shane, it's me." She said. Shane's eyes widened hearing her.

"Mel! Are you okay? Is everything alright?" He asked, Melody smiled at how worried he sounded.

"Yes, there's nothing to worry about." She said calmly, "I'm fine, I found Winry."

"Did you now?" He asked, "Then why aren't you back yet?"

She giggled, "Goodness Shane, you sound awfully scared." She teased.

"Why shouldn't I be?" He exclaimed, "My girlfriend leaves for three hours, and she doesn't let anyone come with her? How can I not be scared for you? I thought something bad had happened to you!"

"Nothing bad happened, Shane." She said, "Listen, I called to say I can't make it back to the hotel."

"_Whyyyy?_" Shane whined, Melody giggled again.

"It's too dark and too late at night for a girl to wander around." She said, "So I'm staying with someone else tonight, okay?"

"Well, who is it?" Shane asked, "Is it a guy?"

"No, no, I'm staying with a girl." She asked, "She and Winry are good friends now. So we're both staying over, alright?"

"Alright…" Shane grumbled. "You'll be back tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, I will." She said, "Oh! And could you not tell Ed? Winry wants him to worry a little." Shane laughed.

"I don't blame her." He said, "I guess I'll see you in the morning, then?"

"Yep, see ya then, cutie." She said, and she hung up the phone. She went back to the room where Winry was repairing Paninya's arm. She stood next to Winry and stared at all the complex wires that were inside an automail arm. She looked up and saw the silhouette of a man in the door. He had gray hair, he had a square jaw, and his face looked very stern.

"Paninya." His voice made her jump, "What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Dominique." She said nervously. Winry jumped up.

"Hi! It's a real pleasure to meet you, sir!" She said, "I'm Winry Rockbell, visiting from Resembool, I'm an automail mechanic, too. Oh, and this other girl here is my friend, Melody." The man jumped.

"Did you say you're a Rockbell out of Resembool?" He asked, he shook slightly, "A-Are you related… to Pinako? The leopardess of Resembool!" His eyes were filled with fear, "I can still hear that bone-chilling laugh!"

"You knew my grandmother?" Winry asked, Dominique looked up at her and quickly shook his head. He glanced down and saw Paninya's arm open.

"What happened to your arm?" He asked, Paninya hid her arm from his view.

"Nothing." She muttered. He stared for a minute before turning to leave.

"Do what you want." He said, Paninya breathed a sigh of relief and Winry went back to working on her arm.

"Hey, Mel." Paninya said, she looked over at her, "Who was that you were talking to earlier?" Melody smiled.

"Shane." She replied.

"Is he a friend of yours?" Paninya asked, Melody blushed slightly.

"Actually, he's my boyfriend." She said, "He tends to worry when I'm by myself for too long, so I told him I was staying over because it was too dark for me to leave." Paninya smiled.

"Sounds like he cares an awful lot about you." She said, "How sweet." Melody put her hand behind her head in embarrassment.

"Heh, yeah…" She said.

* * *

Ed groaned as he, Al, and Shane sat on a bench after looking for Winry and Melody. "Where the hell'd she go?" Ed asked aloud, "I'm not sure we'll ever see her again."

"She must've spent the night outside." Al said, Ed groaned again.

"Hey!" The boys looked to see Winry, Melody, and a dark skinned girl with an automail arm running towards them. They got up to meet them; Shane was grinning ear to ear when Melody ran and hugged him. When they released, she stayed next to him with his arm around her shoulders, "Good, we found you." Winry said.

"You found us?" Ed said, "We looked for you and Melody everywhere!"

"Sorry," Winry said, "Guess I did lose my temper yesterday." The dark skinned girl smiled.

"Hi there fellas!" She said happily. They recognized her immediately.

"You're the girl from that contest." Al said.

"Her name's Paninya." Winry said, "And she was nice enough to let me and Mel stay at her place last night." Winry put her hands together, "So, uh, Edward." He grunted in response, "Can I see your pocket watch for a second?"

"And why should I do that?" He asked.

"Please?" She whined.

"Okay…" Ed muttered as he dug his watch out, "But you can only look this time." Paninya reached down and snatched the watch from him, Melody held in her laughs as she saw Ed's face of shock. Paninya jumped on top of a couple of boxes and landed on the roof. She held his watch up with a smile on her face.

"Thanks a lot!" She said.

"What are you doing!" Ed shouted.

"It's you against her!" Winry said, Ed looked to see her pointing a finger at him, "If you can snatch your precious watch back from her before she makes it to the pawn shop, then you win!" Paninya laughed.

"Come and get it, little man, if you think you can take me!" She said as she ran off. Ed saw her run off.

"What the hell?" He looked over at her, "Winry!"

"Better run if you don't want that watched to get hocked." She said, "And no cheating this time." Ed glared at her, then he took the path Paninya took and ran after her.

"Brother!" Al called after him, he went over to Winry, "Winry, why would you do that?"

"It's simple." She replied, "I want Ed to gain some appreciation for good automail." Shane nudged Melody.

"Did she plan this, or did you?" He asked, Melody shrugged.

"All the credit goes to Win, I didn't do a thing." She said, "Come on, let's go and get some good seats!" She took Shane's hand and she led him to a spot where they could see the whole race between the two.

Paninya ran on the rooftops, "Get back here!" Ed's voice sounded, she looked back to see him running with a very annoyed expression on his face. She turned back and jumped down onto the roof of another building, Ed following her. People stared as they saw the two roof hoppers racing one another. "Gimme back my watch!" Ed yelled. Paninya smirked and looked back at him.

"Having trouble keepin' up with me, are ya?" She teased.

"Keep on dreamin'!" Ed yelled back. Paninya jumped down from the roofs and landed in an alley, "Dammit, she's like a freakin' cat!" Ed jumped down after her. She ran and turned a corner into another alley.

"You know when you can't win using your legs, there's always _alchemy_!" She taunted in a sing-song voice.

"Screw you!" Ed shouted. Paninya took another turn and landed in a dead-end alley. She stared at the wall, knowing it was too high to jump.

"Whoops…" She muttered, Ed ran up behind her, panting.

"Alright I played your stupid game," He held out his hand, "Now gimme my watch!" Paninya stuck out her tongue at him, she bent down and pulled up her pant leg to reveal her automail.

"Nah, I got something else for ya!" She said, a compartment opened up in her knee, where it shot out something like a mini-missile at him. The smoke could be seen from where Shane, Melody, Al, and Winry were watching, and that was pretty far. The group sweat dropped.

"Maybe she went a little overboard…" Winry muttered.

"No, you think!" Melody growled.

Paninya ran on the rooftops again, "I sure hope I didn't," She gulped, "kill him." She ran a little longer, then stopped, "Let's see, where am I?" From the roof next to her, Ed jumped and snatched his watch back from her hands, she staggered back, "Damn you!" Her automail leg clanked against the wall of the roof, she staggered for a moment before losing her balance and falling over, screaming. Ed clapped his hands and used alchemy to make six stone hands come out from the wall underneath to break her fall.

She put her hand to her head, Ed jumped down from the roof, "You okay?" He asked, Paninya gave him a small smile.

"I'd feel better if I won." She muttered. Shane, Melody, Winry, and Al ran to where they were to see if those two were okay.

"I've got no idea what you were trying to prove by that." Ed said to Paninya, "But you weren't gonna beat me, I've got the best automail in the world." Winry heard him and smiled.

* * *

Melody, Shane, and Al were in Dominique's automail shop, Al asked Paninya why she agreed to do this little plan of Winry's. "I wanted to show how incredible Dominique's automail is so he can get the respect he deserves." She said.

"It looked pretty incredible to me." Al said, Paninya smile at him. They heard footsteps and a sigh and looked to see Dominique coming in.

"You misguided child…" He muttered.

"Hello, sir." Al greeted, the man waved a small hello to him, and nodded at Shane and Melody.

"You don't have to prove anything to anyone, you understand?" He said to Paninya.

"Yeah, but…" She replied.

"Take note." He said, rummaging through a small cabinet, "Automail is more than nuts, and bolts, and machinery. It's _your_ arm and _your_ legs. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about it." He stood up holding a wooden toolbox and looked over at her, "I honestly thought I raised you to know that fact for yourself, Paninya." She smiled at him.

"I get it." Al said, "You build automail as an extension of the person's soul."

"Yeah," Melody said, "And in time, it becomes a part of who they are."

"It's really true." Paninya said, "When I could finally stand up again, I felt complete for the first time in a long while." She looked down at her automail and smiled. She looked back up at Melody and Shane, "So," She said, a sly grin on her face, "Have you two slept together yet?" The couple flushed a deep, bright red crimson.

"We-we've only been together for a little while!" Melody screeched.

"What makes you think we've slept together!" Shane yelled, Paninya and Alphonse laughed.

"Relax, I was just teasing." She said, the two of them still blushed. They glanced at each other and turned away. "I can see that you two haven't gotten that far, anyway."

"Yeah, well, please don't bring it up again." Melody said, her face still red. "I don't plan on doing _any_thing like that with _any_ man until I'm married." Shane turned to face her.

"What?" He whined, "I have to marry you to do that stuff?" She stared at him as if he had just asked her the dumbest question on the planet.

"Yes!" She said, "I was taught it was proper to remain a virgin until marriage and that's exactly what I'm going to do!" Shane shrugged.

"Guess I need to buy a ring, then…" He muttered with a small smile on his face. Melody playfully shoved him.

"Pervert." She said, the room was filled with laughter.

* * *

"Well, it was nice meeting you!" Al said as he left. Shane and Melody waved goodbye to them.

"See ya 'round!" Shane called.

"Mm-hmm." Dominique said.

"Say hi to Winry for me!" Paninya said, Al waved and they headed back to the hotel. Al stopped when he saw a large man with big muscles, a scary looking face, and a beard standing next to a woman with black hair in multiple braids that was up in a ponytail. Melody glanced up at him as he stared at the two.

"Al? What's up, buddy?" She asked.

* * *

Winry packed up the new automail tools she had bought, and used on Ed's automail. Ed himself lay down on a green couch, facing the cushions. Winry stopped packing her things up and looked over at Ed.

"Hey, Ed." She said in a low voice, "You asleep yet?"

"No." Ed replied.

"You know, I think you may have grown an inch or two since the last time I saw you." She said.

"People do that." He replied, Winry shifted so her whole body was facing him.

"At this rate, you'll probably outgrow your arm and leg soon." She said, "Want to go back to Resembool so I can make new ones?"

"Let me think about it." Ed replied, after a moment he said, "Nah, think I'll pass for now."

"But why?" Winry asked, Ed only sighed in response. Winry lowered her head and stared at the floor. "Haven't you been satisfied with my automail, Ed?" Her voice quivered as she spoke, Ed got up and looked to see she was shaking, "I promise to make the next even better. I've been studying hard, so it'll be just as top of the line as any big-city dealer's…" A small sob escaped as a few tears dropped onto her hands, "So… What do you say…?"

"Oh, Winry." Ed sighed, he had a small, comforting smile on his face. "Your automail's the best, really. It's just that… we're trying to get our bodies back to normal. We have to." Winry wiped her eyes and tried to stop crying.

Suddenly, Al burst through the door, Melody and Shane behind him, "Brother! You're not gonna believe who's here!" Winry stood up and saw a man behind the three teenagers. He was as big as Al was, and he had huge muscles and a dark looking face. Ed felt his face drain of it's blood.

"Ed, do you know this guy?" Winry asked.

"Yeah, and that means…" Ed trailed off as he jumped up and headed to the window. When he opened it, someone kicked him in the face and sent him flying back.

"And just where do you think you're going Ed?" A woman asked, she climbed in through the window and sighed, "You've always been so predictable."

"Uh, hello, teacher." Ed greeted nervously, "What are you doing here?"

"That's your teacher?" Winry asked, she looked at the woman who had climbed in, she got a good look at her slightly pale skin and her dark hair that was in multiple braids that was put in a ponytail.

"Doesn't that mean she's-" Melody's question was cut off by Ed.

"An alchemist." He said, "Taught us everything we know." The woman looked around the room.

"Where is Alphonse?" She demanded, Al instantly stood up straight.

"Ma'am!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." The woman laughed as she walked over to Al, putting her hand behind her head, suddenly in a pleasant mood, "I want to thank you and your friends so much for escorting us here. Do you know where I can find Alphonse?"

"Um, well…" Al put his hand nervously behind his head, Melody cleared her throat.

"He _is_ Alphonse." She said, the woman looked over at her, keeping her pleasant demeanor.

"That's right, of course he is." She said, nodding and turning back to Al, "Now as I was saying…" she stopped, she put her hand down slightly, realizing this information. Al scooted away, but before he could get out of arm's reach, the woman grabbed him and flipped him over. "So you're hiding in disguises now!" Melody and Shane sweat dropped at the amazing power of Ed and Al's alchemy teacher. "Don't worry, I've had plenty of stories reach me about my idiot apprentices breaking away from everything I taught them to become the scum of the military. Isn't that right?" Ed was shivering from fear, shaking his head no, and hiding behind Winry. Melody shivered slightly at how intimidating this woman really is.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi! Chibimaker here, I just want to apologize for taking so long, there was something up with my computer and I couldn't load anything and it was a real pain. I really wanted to because I happen to like the ShaneMel fluff in here. ^_^**

**-I do not own FMA!**

* * *

18

Melody stared over at Ed and Al. Their teacher, Izumi Curtis, had tied them up and placed them on a train car. Melody, Shane, and Winry sat across from them. "Are you sure you're gonna be alright, guys?" Melody asked.

"Yeah," Al said, "We just didn't expect her to come looking for us."

"Dammit…" Ed muttered, "She took my watch, and I can't exactly say I'm comfortable like this." He glared at the door, "It looks like we're headed directly for Dublith, too."

"I'm kind of surprised." Winry said, "For some reason, I always figured your alchemy teacher was some old crone, but she's a beautiful lady." Ed turned to her.

"How are you surprised?" He asked, "You met her years ago, Winry."

"We first became her students in Resembool." Al said. "Back when we were boys."

"I don't remember that." She said.

"Sure you do," Al said, "It was that day it wouldn't stop raining." Winry closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

"Oh, yeah." She said, "So you stayed with her." Ed grunted and the ropes around him fell to the ground.

"Got it." He and Al flexed their arms for a moment, "Much better." Ed stood and opened the door to the hall outside their car, "Let's move out, Al." He only got about three steps before he fell over because he had been hit in the face with his own watch.

"Brother!" Al exclaimed, he bent down to help him and the rest of the group watched what happened. Al looked to see who threw it and gasped at the sight of his teacher and her husband, Sig Curtis.

"All that work, and you still haven't learned a thing." Izumi said, "Have you, boys?" Melody and Shane sweat dropped again. This woman was seriously scary!

* * *

Winry, Melody, Shane, Ed, and Al followed Izumi and Sig as they walked through the streets of Dublith. "So much for our escape plan." Al muttered.

"I know." Ed replied, Melody glanced back to see the two of them were scared stiff, "I've got chills just _thinking_ about what she's gonna do to us, now." Melody looked back over at Shane, he shrugged.

"Yeah…" Al muttered. Melody shrugged and kept following Izumi. They passed a house, where a young girl who couldn't be more than seven or eight years old came out.

"Teacher!" She greeted to Izumi, she smiled and bent down to be at eye level with her.

"Hey there, Manny." She greeted back, "So how's Chico doing?"

"She's gonna have babies soon!" She replied excitedly. Melody looked over to see a fat-looking cat sleeping on the front step of the house.

"Goodness, your house is gonna be crowded." Izumi said. Melody smiled at the girl as she glanced at her, and she smiled back.

"Izumi! Welcome back!" A voice yelled, Melody looked to see a young man who had plenty of muscles waving at her. Ed smiled at him.

"Hey there, Mason!" He said.

"That you, Edward?" Mason asked, "Haven't seen you in a while! Ha, ha, ha!" He walked over and patted him on the head, "So, you've finally grown a little bit, haven't you?"

"He loves to piss me off…" Ed growled, Melody gaped at him. She leaned over to Shane.

"Shane, doesn't he look just like…?" She whispered, Shane nodded.

"Yeah, he looks just like Derek." He replied, Derek was a boy at their school who played quarter back on the football team. He and Mason looked exactly the same, only Derek's hair was blonde. Melody was assigned to tutor him in English grammar her freshmen year, he was flunking a number of other classes, but she could only help him in that one subject. The difference between the two was that Derek's hair was blond, and his skin was so dark, his hair was the only thing that convinced someone he wasn't Latino. Mason's hair was brown, and his skin was much lighter.

Izumi glanced at the two as they whispered, then looked back to Mason, who was looking up at Alphonse. "So, uh…" Mason started, "Who's your big armored sidekick?"

Alphonse put his hand behind his head, "It's me, Mason. His little brother, Alphonse." Mason stared at him for a moment, then smiled.

"That's one heck of a growth spurt!" He laughed. He glanced over at Melody and saw her perplexed face, "Who're all these guys?"

"Oh, right." Ed turned back to the people behind him, "The blonde one is Winry and the brunette is Melody, and the guy is Shane, they're friends of ours." Mason walked up to Melody and Shane.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Mason." He held out his hand, Melody shook it.

"Yeah, nice to meet you…" She mumbled staring at his face with that same look. He quirked an eyebrow.

"What? Is there something on my face?" He asked, Melody snapped back to her old self.

"Oh, n-no! It's just you, uh, look a lot like somebody I know." She said, Mason smiled.

"Do I now?" Melody nodded, "Who is it?"

"His name is Derek," Melody said, "I certainly hope you two don't act the same, because he's an insensitive, arrogant, jerk of an idiot." Mason sweat dropped.

"So do I." He said.

* * *

Edward and Alphonse sat at a table in Izumi's home/store. Melody was slightly nervous at the fact she owned a butchery. Izumi had made them lunch, Edward sat next to Al and Winry, Winry sat next to Mason, Mason sat next to Izumi, Izumi sat next to Sig, Sig sat next to Shane, Shane sat next to Melody, and Melody sat next to Alphonse. Winry looked over at Edward, who hadn't touched the food he'd been given.

"Are you going to eat, Ed?" Winry asked, Edward looked over at her.

"Hmm? Eh, no thanks." He replied.

"Eat it now, Ed." Izumi ordered.

"Yes ma'am." Edward started putting some food on his plate, Melody pursed her lips slightly. She wondered what this guy must've gone through while he was her student.

"Same goes for you, Al." Mason said, "It's really tasty."

"No, that's okay." Al replied, "I'm full." He laughed slightly. Mason shrugged, he turned to Shane. "So what's your story, pal?" Shane looked up at him.

"My story?" He asked.

"Yeah, that accent of yours is hard to miss, where you from?" He asked.

"Oh! Um…" He tried to think of a good excuse, nobody but Edward and Alphonse knew where the two were originally from, and they had all agreed to keep it that way.

"It sounds like you're from some place in Galula." Mason said, Shane smiled nervously.

"Yeah, uh, I'm from Galula, actually!" He said, "Born and raised there! Heh, heh…" Mason nodded. He looked over at Melody.

"And you were holding his hand when I saw you." He said, "Is he your boyfriend?" Melody blushed slightly.

"Yes, he's my boyfriend…" She said quietly, "And a great one at that." Mason gave a huge smile.

"Heh, thought so." He said.

* * *

"Wow, sounds like you two have been on one brutal journey since you left." Mason said, the meal was over, and Edward and Alphonse had told them about most of their adventures after graduating from Izumi's training.

"You shouldn't be getting into so much trouble." Sig told them.

"Well, it hasn't been all bad." Alphonse said, "We've helped out several people along the way, seriously. We even helped deliver a lady's baby a few years ago." Melody noticed how Sig's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Please," Ed laughed, "You call that helping? We just ran around, screaming our heads off, thinkin' she was gonna die!"

"I guess so." Al laughed, "But the point is, we did our best. It was like that old proverb, 'When a mother gives birth, she risked her life. And when the baby is born, everyone around her is blessed.'"

"Yes, that's true." Izumi said, "I'm sure it was the same way when your mother gave birth to you." She looked at them with a soft smile, "You boys should be thankful for the lives you have." Melody couldn't help but smile.

"And what about you, Izumi?" Winry asked, "Do you have a child of your own?" Mason's hands slammed down on the table as he stood up. Everyone looked at him, except for Izumi and Sig. He looked back at them.

"Uh… I'm sorry." He said, he tapped his hands on the table, "Um… I was just, uh… You've improved your alchemy, right Ed? Can you show me?"

"Sure, if you want." Edward said. He looked up at Alphonse, "Let's go."

"Right." Al replied. Melody noticed Mason's sigh of relief. Edward and Alphonse stood up from their seats.

"I'll go, too." Winry said as she got up.

"Same." Melody said, pulling Shane up with her, he quirked an eyebrow at her. She leaned close to whisper to him, "You saw his reaction, I don't think we should stay in here." Shane nodded and followed her out the door outside. Once it was shut, Sig looked over at his wife.

"Izumi…" Izumi stared in front of her.

"I'm okay." She said, "They've witnessed another life come into this world. That's a valuable experience for anyone to have." Sig smiled softly at his wife.

* * *

Alphonse drew in the last part of the now finished transmutation circle. "Alright, I'll start." He put his hands on the circle and it glowed a bright blue as the dirt from the ground molded into a statue of a horse.

"Hey!" Mason said, "You have gotten better!" Alphonse laughed.

"Okay, my turn." Edward said, before he had a chance to perform any transmutation, a small group of boys came running up to the house. One of them was holding a wooden train.

"Welcome back, teacher." One greeted to her.

"Yeah, welcome home." Another said. The first boy held up the wooden train to Izumi.

"My train broke while we were playing; now it doesn't roll right." He said, he handed her the train and she looked at it, "So can you fix it?"

"One of the axels is broken." She said, she looked over at one of the boys who had a stick in his mouth, "Okay, give me that." She took it from his mouth.

"Come on!" The first boy whined, "Can't you just fix it using alchemy?"

"No." Izumi said, "You shouldn't rely on alchemy all the time. If you can fix it with your own hands, then you should." She handed him the train where the stick had taken the place of the axel. "There you go, all fixed."

"Yeah, but now it looks really ugly." The boy said as he took it from her.

"Don't you know not to look a gift horse in the mouth?" Melody said, the boys looked at her, "Besides, there are way uglier sights than your train, believe me." Izumi looked at her before nodding in agreement.

"She's right." She said, "In the future, if you want all your things to be so beautiful, then I suggest you don't break them in the first place." The boy put his hand behind his head in embarrassment. He and his friends waved goodbye.

"Bye teacher, thanks a lot!" He said, then the three boys ran off to go and play. "I'll be back if it breaks again!"

"Let's try to keep it to once a day, please!" Izumi called.

"Teacher!" A girl called, Melody recognized her as Manny, from before. She ran up to Izumi.

"What is it, Manny, what's wrong?" She asked. Manny looked up at her.

"It's Chico, my cat." She said.

* * *

A black dog stood outside Manny's home, barking at the roof. When Alphonse's shadow covered him, he ran in fear of the armor. Everyone else quickly followed after him. "The cat must be up there!" Winry exclaimed.

"I'm on it." Edward said as he grabbed the gutter and climbed up to the roof, when he got to the top, he saw the cat from before. She was different, other than the fact she had a litter of three kittens nursing from her, there was blood coming from where she had given birth to the kittens, and she was dead. One of the kittens began to roll off the roof, away from its mother. Ed clapped his hands and put them on the wall of the house, Izumi's eyes widened as he did so. His alchemy made a hand appear from the wall, and catch the kitten.

"Nice catch, Ed!" Melody said. Edward smiled.

* * *

Manny sat in front of Izumi, who had Chico's body lying in her lap. Winry held the three kittens in her hand. Manny nudged her cat's stomach as she lay there.

"Chico, Chico…" She looked up at Izumi, "Uh, teacher, is Chico broken somewhere?" Izumi looked at her for a moment before speaking.

"No, Manny. Chico's dead." She said, shaking her head no. Manny looked up at her with wide eyes.

"But you can make her better, can't you teacher?" She asked, "You can fix anything, you can fix Chico, too." Winry closed her eyes and looked away, Edward had a solemn expression on his face, Alphonse stood still, Melody gripped Shane's hand, and he released it so he could put his arm around her.

"No, I can't." Izumi said softly, Edward looked over at his teacher. "Lives and things are different, and I'm not a God. Chico's life has ended, and she isn't ever coming back."

"But…" Manny sniffled, "She was… She was just here!" Tears pooled in her eyes. Izumi's face turned into a small, sympathetic smile.

"I can't bring Chico back for you, Manny." She said, "But I can help you make a grave for her, okay? How does that sound?"

* * *

Edward, Alphonse, Mason, Sig, Melody, Shane, and Izumi stood before the grave for Manny's cat. Manny herself was sitting next to the grave, crying her eyes out, and Winry was comforting her. Words from the funeral of Melody's father came rushing back to her as Izumi spoke, "Everything that lives has to die." Izumi said, "That's the nature of the world, and when the body returns to the soil, flowers will be nourished and bloom. A soul impacts other souls, and lives on in other hearts. Everything in this world flows, circulates, that goes for human lives as well."

Izumi waved goodbye to everyone as they left the grave sight, once Melody thought Izumi wasn't looking, she turned and ran to hide behind the tree of the hill where they had buried the cat. Shane ran after her, of course.

"Mel!" He hissed, she shushed him as they hid behind the tree, within hearing range of the Elrics and Izumi.

"Even for someone like me, who's come to know so much on the subject," Izumi said, "It's still difficult to make a child understand the actual nature of death." Melody stood completely still as she listened, Shane doing the same.

"Teacher?" Edward asked, "Over all these years, have you ever wished you could bring someone dead back to life?"

"That's the second time you've asked me that, Ed." Izumi said. Nobody said anything for a moment before Izumi spoke again, "Al, that armor is empty, isn't it?" The Elrics looked up at her in shock, "Ed, your arm and leg are automail, right?"

"How did you find out?" Edward asked.

"Your weight when I threw you, the sound of your steps, you thought I wouldn't notice?" Izumi turned to them, "You fools."

"Teacher…" Al said.

"On the roof, you didn't use a transmutation circle, did you?" She asked, directing her attention to Ed, who looked away from her. "So come on, tell me Ed." Izumi said, turning her whole body to meet his direction, "Did you actually see it?"

After a moment, Edward uttered a barely audible, "Yes…"

"How did it happen?" Izumi asked, "Tell me everything."

"Teacher…" Edward started, his breath shaky remembering all that's happened, "I… We… We transmuted… Transmuted our mother!" Melody gasped. In her time here, she had learned about human transmutation, she learned what it was for, and what it cost. It all made sense why Al and Edward were the way they were.

Once Edward had spoken, Izumi kicked him into the tree. When Al tried to help him, Izumi grabbed him and flipped him over. When Edward stood up, Izumi grabbed the collar of his shirt. She punched him in the face twice, and then punched his stomach. Izumi turned and kicked Al, her beatings continued for about ten more seconds. When Edward got up from being hit so many times, he saw Izumi still had her hard stare. As she stepped closer, Edward thought she was going to hit him again, but instead she put him and Alphonse into an embrace. Alphonse made small whimpers that sounded like he was crying.

Melody gulped, she nudged Shane, and he nodded. They tried to sneak off, but it didn't do much good, because Izumi saw them and yelled, "Stop right there, you two!" The two of them froze and turned around to meet the stern face of Izumi and the shocked faces of Ed and Al. Izumi walked up to them, "How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know about Ed and Al's mom…" Melody muttered. Izumi's eyes narrowed. "I had no idea…"

"You were listening? The whole time?" Edward asked them, Melody looked toward the ground.

"Don't get mad at her, Ed." Shane said, "It was my idea we listen in the first place, if you're gonna be mad at anyone, be mad at me." Melody stared up at him with wide eyes, he was taking the blame for this? He shrugged his shoulders, "Although, I got no clue what it means to transmute somebody."

"It means they used alchemy to try and bring someone back to life." Melody said quietly, "It's forbidden, mainly because the cost of a soul is another soul. There's never been any record of a successful human transmutation, because they almost always end with death." Shane looked at her, eyes wide. He glanced back to the Elrics.

"Guess it makes sense…" He muttered. "But, how did Al…?"

"It's called a soul bonding." Melody said again, this time looking up and straight ahead of her, "It's where somebody takes a soul and binds it to a different body. Edward used the iron in his blood and combined it to the iron in the armor to bring Al back." Shane nodded. Edward walked up to her.

"What's wrong? Surprised?" He asked, "We were kids and we were stupid, that's that. If you have some kind of problem that we committed a taboo, then-"

"That's not the reason Ed." She said, Edward stared at her for a minute, "It's just… I'm surprised because I would have done the same thing with my dad." Shane looked at her sadly as he saw tears barely showing up in her eyes. Edward took a sharp breath through his nose. "That's all."

"I see…" Ed muttered. Izumi looked at her and Shane. "I guess it's fair, since Shane told us about your dad…" Melody's eyes flashed.

"Shane did what?" She asked quickly, she turned sharply and saw his guilty face, "I thought you swore you wouldn't-!"

"I'm sorry!" Shane yelled, "It just came out, I didn't mean to!" Melody glared at him, then turned and walked away. "Hey, Mel!"

"Stop." Izumi said, Shane didn't move, and neither did Melody, "There are some questions I want to ask you two." She looked at Shane, "Starting with you."

"Me?" Shane asked.

"I've been to Galula, and those people are almost all red-heads." She said, "You're not from Galula, are you?" Shane gulped.

"No ma'am." He said.

"Melody isn't either, right?" She asked, Melody stepped back to her previous spot.

"Right." She said, Izumi interrogated her and Shane and found out where they were originally from, when she asked how they got here, they said they didn't remember. She asked questions about Melody's father, and she answered them, and when she was satisfied, she brought them back to her home.

She put Edward, Alphonse, and Shane in one room. Melody and Winry in another. Izumi warned the teenage couple that if they did anything, she would come up here and kick their asses. They took it into account as they got ready for the next day.

When Shane was certain that Edward had fallen asleep, and had Alphonse swear not to tell his teacher, he snuck to the girl's room and made sure Winry was asleep, too. He quietly tiptoed to Melody's bed, which was closest to the door, and snuck in under the covers with her. Melody smiled and opened one eye.

"I'm telling…" She murmured. Shane laughed softly as he wrapped his arms around her, she snuggled into his chest. "We can't let anyone find you here in the morning, you know." Shane shrugged.

"I know." He whispered, "I'll stay here until you fall asleep." This small assurance caught Melody short. She felt a powerful emotion wash over her that was so strong, she could have had tears in her eyes. She pulled herself up so she was face to face with him. She put her hand on the crook of his neck and stared at the two glints that were his eyes.

"Shane," She whispered, "I love you." She kissed his lips, and he returned it. They kissed for only a few more seconds before stopping.

Shane kissed her forehead, she felt his lips linger there and form the words as he breathed them. "I love you too."


	19. Chapter 19

**Okay, first: I don't own FMA, only Shane and Melody. Second: There is a slice of lemon in here, so if you don't want to read, don't!**

**-Chibimaker**

19

Melody awoke in an empty bed, she smiled, he stuck to his word. She stretched her arms and looked over at Winry's empty bed. "I hope I haven't slept in…" She muttered as she stood up. She grabbed a black tank top, a grey jacket, a black skirt, and put on her shoes. She put her long hair into a ponytail and went downstairs, she smiled at everyone's faces.

"Morning, guys." She greeted, Shane looked over at her and smiled.

"There you are!" He said, "I was about to come get you, you know. You slept in."

"No duh, Captain Obvious." Melody said as she sat down next to him. She smiled at him, and he scanned her body.

"You look good today." He said, Melody snorted.

"Are you saying I didn't look good before?" She asked, Shane grinned.

"Yes, you normally look like you just crawled out of the garbage." He said, Melody gave a look of offense and smacked his shoulder, everyone laughed. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, putting his hand over hers. "Mrs. Curtis?" Shane asked.

"You don't have to call me Mrs. Curtis," She responded, "You can call me Izumi." Shane nodded.

"I was wondering what today was." Shane said.

"I believe today is the 16th." She said, Shane turned to Melody.

"You should've warned me." He said, she waved it off.

"What's he talking about Melody?" Winry asked. Melody smiled at her.

"Oh, nothing." She replied, "I'm just seventeen today."

"It's your birthday?" Winry asked, Melody nodded. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"It's just a birthday." Melody said, "I didn't want anyone to make a big fuss about it." Shane elbowed her.

"You should've told me," He said, "I would've gotten you something." Melody sighed.

"Doesn't really matter to me." She said. Melody looked over at Izumi, "By the way, Izumi," She looked over at her, "I was wondering, there must be a reason you brought the boys all the way to Dublith. What was it?" Izumi smirked.

"I want them to cool their heads." She said.

* * *

"This is a joke." Edward said, staring at the forest in front of him, "What does she mean 'cool our heads?' I hope she doesn't think we're gonna have any trouble surviving here now."

"She even forbade us from using alchemy!" Alphonse said, "It's just like last time, isn't it?"

"Yeah really." Edward said, looking over at his brother, "I mean, what's the point of doing this again? Does teacher think we haven't grown up at all?"

"Oh, I don't know." Alphonse and Edward looked at the waters behind them, "I'm sure she has her reasons."

* * *

Sig rowed the boat away from the island where Edward and Alphonse had been left. "No, wait! Go back!" Winry yelled, "Edward! Alphonse!" The boat shook when she stood.

"Winry!" Melody said. She watched Sig catch Winry before she fell overboard. He held her up with one hand.

"Don't move around, girl." He said, "You'll get wet."

"Okay…" She squeaked out. She sat back down. "But what do you want them to do?"

"I don't want them to _do_ anything." Izumi replied.

"That's right." Sig said.

"How's that right?" Melody asked, "You left those guys on an uninhabited island without any provisions!"

"And what do you mean you don't want them to do anything?" Shane asked.

"I mean just that." Izumi said.

"Right." Sig said.

"You know," Winry stood up again, "I just don't think I understand you people at all!" Melody nodded, she didn't get what she was doing.

"It's all right to do nothing." Izumi said, "It's alright to stop and think things over for a while, those two need some time to do that right now." Winry stopped and stared.

"So, what is this, time-out?" Melody asked, Izumi gave a small laugh.

"Yes, but I've never heard it put so bluntly." She said, Sig smiled. Melody smiled back and stuck her hand in the water as the boat kept moving toward shore.

* * *

"So, now what?" Melody asked as they walked back to Izumi's home, "She said she'd get them tomorrow morning, but what are we supposed to do until then?" Shane smirked at her with a mischievous glint in his eye. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

"Oh, I can think of a few good ways to pass the time." He said, Melody grinned at him.

"Hmm, is that so?" Melody asked, "Well, what did you have in mind? Perhaps a wholesome game of checkers? Oh, I know- Old maid."

"Hmph, very funny." He said, Melody smiled.

"Now hold on, you two." Izumi said, "Just because those boys aren't here doesn't mean you can spend the whole day making out with each other." Melody blushed slightly, "I plan on putting your boyfriend to work."

"You're kidding." Shane said, Izumi shook her head.

"Edward and Alphonse told me about the way you fight," She said, "Which is basically only hand-to-hand combat. You need to learn to defend yourself better, so I'm going to teach you." Shane started sweating.

"Are you serious?" He asked, Izumi smirked at him, "But-- But it's Mel's birthday! I want to be able to do _some_thing for her!"

"And you will, once we're done." Izumi said. Shane sighed in defeat.

"Fine…" He muttered, "Guess I'm stuck with Izumi for now." He turned his attention to Melody, "Why don't you and Win spend the day together, or something?" Melody shrugged.

"Only if she gets too lonely." Melody said.

"Hey! I won't get lonely!" Winry said.

"Really?" Melody asked, "Without Ed or Al here, you're going to be bored out of your mind." Winry 'hmphed' and turned away, Melody snickered, "I'm only telling the truth."

* * *

Shane skidded across the dirt. He wiped his mouth and stared at Izumi. "Alright, that last one wasn't too bad, but next time try to be a little faster." Izumi said. Shane panted, he and Izumi had been at this for what seemed like hours. He stood up straight and clenched his hands into fists. "Alright, once more, come on." He charged at her, he attempted to punch her and she dodged by inches. He tried again and she still dodged, she kicked his stomach and put him on his back.

"You keep on aiming for the face." Izumi said, "It's too predictable if you do it over and over again. You need to aim for more than one place, and you need to use more than just your fists." Shane pushed himself up.

"I would if ya gave me back my knife!" He growled.

"This is so you'll be able to fight if something happens to it." Izumi said, holding his knife in her hand. "Now, this time, try kicking and punching." She tossed it aside and Shane charged her again.

* * *

Melody looked around at the books Izumi had. A few of them were medical books, the rest were on alchemy. She picked up one of the alchemy books and flipped through the pages. She scanned the words that flew by and didn't pay much attention to the pictures of transmutation circles. She stopped at one page that had a picture of a strange creature. It looked like a panther mixed with an alligator, or a crocodile, she never knew how to tell the difference. She read the words underneath it.

_A chimera is the product of the transmutation of two different species of animal. The types of animal range from all species, it is also possible to use more than two species. In all forms a chimera can take, it cannot be mixed with humans. It is believed that the human body, when mixed with another animal, is too complex for the two to have a complete balance._

_A chimera, because it is mixed with two species of animal, is almost incapable of speech. The only record of a chimera capable of saying the English language was first made by sewing life alchemist Shou Tucker. Soon after it was created, the chimera soon died. Two years afterward, it was found that he created the chimera by transmuting it with his family members. The first was created with his wife, the second created with his daughter._

Melody stopped reading, _Tucker… I've heard that name before…_ She thought, she closed her eyes in concentration, then she remembered she had heard it at lab five. _Edward said something about the homunculi being responsible for telling Marcoh about the stone, telling someone named Mugiar what to do with red water, and said they were responsible Tucker's experiments._ She closed the book and put it back on the shelf. _I wonder what he was like before using his family in his experiments…_

She walked out of the room and headed to the kitchen. She saw Shane sitting in the chair, beat up and out of breath. She walked over to him, and he smiled at her.

"Hey." He said, Melody nodded, "So where've you been?"

"Looking at some of the books Izumi has." She said, she sat down in the chair next to his, "They're mostly on alchemy, but I learned something, at least." She looked over at him, "Anyway, you look like hell. Izumi's a tough teacher, huh?"

"That's putting it mildly." Shane said, grimacing. "She really pushes you to your limit, it's no wonder Ed is so scared of her." Melody giggled.

"Apparently!" She said, "So, you're done with your little work-out?"

"Actually, she decided to give me a break, I got…" He looked at a clock on the wall, "Three minutes until she comes and gets me. Then it's back to work." Melody sighed.

"Well, you want something to drink?" She asked, "I can get you some water." Shane smiled at her.

"Yeah, I'd love some, thanks." He said, Melody got up and went to get him a glass. When she was pouring it in, she felt two arms wrap around her. She smiled.

"I said I was going to get you some. That means I'll bring it to you." She said.

"I don't want the water." Shane said, turning her around. He put his fingers under her chin and tilted her head, "I want _you_." Melody blushed, she carefully put the glass on the counter.

"Well, I'm right here," She wrapped her arms around his neck, "And I'm all yours." Shane smiled and kissed her. The kiss deepened as Shane pressed her closer to his body, Melody fisted her hand in his hair and delighted in the throaty growl he made. Shane pushed her up against the counter and moved his hands from her waist to her back, pulling her closer. Melody took in a sharp breath when he moved his lips to her neck and sucked on the skin there. "Shane…" She murmured. The sound of her uttering his name sent a fire through Shane's body. He stopped sucking on her neck, much to her displeasure, and claimed her lips again. She sighed into the kiss.

"Jeez, get a room." They broke the kiss and turned to see Mason leaning against the door frame, an amused smirk on his face. Melody's entire face became as red as a tomato. Shane's did the same. Mason laughed at the two, "Relax, I won't tell Izumi I found you like this. She'll be here any second, though, you might wanna stop before she founds out."

"Thanks for the warning, Mason." Shane said, releasing the girl from his arms and picking up the glass of water. He kissed her forehead before he went back to his seat, "Thanks for the water, beautiful." She nodded, too embarrassed to speak. She turned around to pour a glass for herself, seeing as her mouth was suddenly dry. She tried to calm herself as she drank some of the water and sat back down next to him. He chuckled seeing her face was still slightly red.

"What?" Melody asked.

"Your face is still red." Shane said, Melody groaned and slouched in her chair.

"It's not like I can help it!" She said, "I've never been like that with anyone before. Knowing how many girlfriends you had before me, you're probably more used to it than me." Shane laughed.

"I only had two girlfriends before you." He said, "And they were both terrible relationships. They didn't have what I wanted," His eyes softened, "But you did." She smiled at him.

"That's sweet of you to say, Blood-boy." She said, he groaned at his nickname.

"I _hate_ that name." He said, "Damn Hughes for coming up with it!" She giggled.

"Oh, you don't mean that." She said, "You're just upset that I stole it from him."

"I know, and I regret having ever said my last name in front of him." He said, he looked down the hall and saw Izumi standing in the doorway, "Break's over already?"

"Don't whine." Izumi said, "Come on, let's go." Shane sighed and got back up. He chugged the glass of water, and kissed Melody's cheek as he left.

"Love ya, hot stuff." He said, Melody put a hand to her cheek and smiled.

"Love you, too." She said, she waved at him as he left to go back outside with Izumi. She sighed contentedly and sipped her drink.

* * *

Shane walked out and stood a few feet away from Izumi. "So, what do I have to do now?" He asked, Izumi tossed him his knife and he caught it, "You want me to use my knife?"

"No, I'm just giving it back to you." Izumi said, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pouch, "In this pouch is about one-hundred sens. Use this when you go shopping." Shane caught the pouch when she threw it to him.

"Shopping for what?" Shane asked, Izumi smiled.

"Melody's birthday present." She said, "There's a jewelry shop about two blocks down, go and buy her something nice." She walked past him, "Once you get back, have something planned for the two of you, I'm giving you the rest of the day to go and celebrate together." She turned to him, "Now get moving." Shane smiled and nodded.

"Yes ma'am!" He said, he ran down the street to find a present for his girlfriend.

* * *

Melody looked at Izumi as she walked back in, "Where's Shane?" She asked, Izumi shrugged.

"I don't know, he just said he didn't have time to train." She said. Melody quirked her eyebrow.

"And you just let him go?" She asked, Izumi nodded.

"Apparently, he wanted to leave to buy you a gift." She said, Melody raised both her eyebrows, then put her elbows up on the table.

"Figures, sounds like him." She said, Izumi came over and sat down next to her, "He'd always do something like that when there's some big event coming up and he didn't get someone a gift." Izumi chuckled.

"He really cares about you, you know." She said, Melody looked at her sideways and smiled.

"I know he does." She said, "And I care about him just as much, if not more."

"Do you now?" She asked, "Are you sure about that?" Melody looked over at Izumi.

"I'm sure." She said, "I know I'm young, and I probably can't tell the difference between actual feelings and hormones, but I know I care about him." Izumi nodded.

"How much do you care for him?" She asked, Melody got a serious look on her face.

"I'd do anything he wants me to." She said, "I'd even die for him." Izumi's smile widened.

"Good," She said, "Because from what I understand he feels the exact same way." Melody looked up at her.

"Really?" She asked, Izumi nodded. Melody smiled and stared at the drink in her hands, "I'm glad." She took a long drink and set the empty cup by the sink. "If he asks where I am, tell him I'm back in that mini-library you have upstairs."

* * *

Melody looked up from the piece of paper she was drawing on to see Shane standing in the doorway. His face was slightly dimmed by the dusk light. She smiled at him, "Hey." She greeted.

"Hey." He took the paper from her and grabbed her hands, "I've got a surprise for you." Melody quirked an eyebrow.

"Do you now?" She asked, "And what might that be?" Shane smirked.

"It's a surprise, dummy." He said, he took her hand and led her out of the house. He led her all the way down to the lake where they had left Edward and Alphonse on the island in the middle of it. "Okay, now close your eyes." She looked at him dubiously, "Just do it, please?" She complied and shut her eyes. Shane waved a hand in front of her face to make sure she wasn't peeking. Then he took her hand again and led her to a small spot near a tree.

"Okay, we're almost there…" He stood next to her and turned her in the direction of his surprise, "Alright… Open your eyes." Melody opened them and gasped. Shane had set up a picnic for the two of them by the lake shore. There were plates and glasses for two people, a small basket, a candelabra that was already lit, and a small, white vase with a bouquet of violets and lilies. She looked at Shane and saw his sheepish smile.

"You… you did all this?" She asked, Shane put his hand behind his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah, well, I had some help making the food." He said, "Do you like it?"

"Shane, I love it!" She jumped over to him and kissed his cheek, "This is a wonderful gift!" Shane put his arms around her waist and kissed her forehead.

"For the record, this is only part one of your birthday present." He said, Melody pulled back.

"There's a part two?" She asked, Shane nodded.

"But it's not happening now," He said, "What's happening now is the part one." He let her go and sat her in one of the spots on the picnic blanket. Shane reached into the basket and pulled out what looked like a wine bottle.

"Uh… Shane? Is that wine?" Melody asked, looking at the liquid that poured into her cup.

"No, of course not." He said, pouring some into his glass, "It's actually sparkling cider, it took me a long time to find the store that sold it." He put the bottle down. "If we were old enough, I still probably wouldn't get you wine." Melody held her glass up to her face.

"Let me guess… Apple?" She asked, she took a sip and was surprised by the taste.

"Peach, actually." Shane said, "You prefer peaches over apples any day." Melody smiled at him.

"It's amazing how well you know me." She said, Shane reached into the basket again and pulled out two sandwiches.

"One for you, and one for me." He said handing her sandwich to her. She gladly took a bite. "Is it any good?"

"Yup." She said her mouth full of her sandwich. She put her hand over her mouth and swallowed, "It's good." Shane smiled.

"I'm glad, I thought you might not like it because it's turkey and all," He said, "But I couldn't find any ham, so it'll have to do." Melody smiled.

"Maybe you should take a job in the culinary arts." She said, "You'd make for a great sandwich chef." Shane smiled.

"Heh, maybe." He said, he took a bite of his own sandwich, he grimaced slightly as he pulled out a small piece of a chip from his mouth, "Or maybe not." Melody giggled. She looked over at the island and wondered how Edward and Alphonse were doing. She thought she saw the glow of a bonfire, but she brushed it off.

* * *

Edward and Alphonse sat in front of the bonfire they had made. "I guess we aren't gonna find the guy in the mask." Alphonse said.

"What's it matter?" Edward said, "We already learned the only lesson this island has to teach us, right?"

"Yeah." Al said.

"When we were kids, we taught ourselves the answer to 'one is all, and all is one.'" Edward said, "We didn't understand everything that meant." He put his hand on his automail shoulder, "It was a mistake to try to bring mom back, we learned that the hard way. The cycle of life only goes one direction, not even alchemy can change that."

"I guess teacher brought us here to remind us of that." Alphonse said, "And to give us time to think about the consequences."

* * *

Melody took the last bite of the brownie Shane had gotten them for desert. She looked over at Shane and he smiled, unaware of the small chunk of chocolate on the corner of his mouth. She giggled and he gave her a confused look.

"What?" he asked, Melody pointed to the corner of her mouth that was mirrored to the spot.

"You got a little chocolate there." She said.

"Oh, thanks." He wiped the wrong corner of his mouth. She sighed.

"No, it's-- Never mind, I've got it." She came up and wiped it with her finger and stuck it in her mouth, "Mm, brownie bits." Shane laughed and she laughed with him. Melody looked up to the sky and could see the stars, "Jeez, how late is it? It's dark already!" Shane looked up and saw the dark sky.

"Guess we should get goin'." Shane said, he helped Melody up, then his eyes flashed and he smacked his fist into his hand, "Oh! I almost forgot!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, blue box, "This is part two." Melody smiled at him and opened the box. She gasped at the necklace inside. It was a tear-drop shaped blue necklace with a golden chain.

"Shane, this is beautiful!" She said, Shane smiled at her. "God, how much did this cost? You didn't spend too much, did you?" Shane chuckled and took the necklace out of the box to put it around her neck.

"Izumi gave me some money to buy it," He said as he moved her hair out of the way, "It was a little pricey, so I had to use some of my money to buy it." He pulled back and marveled at her.

"You didn't have to, the picnic was a wonderful enough present." Melody said, Shane smiled.

"Nah, it just wouldn't feel right." He leaned in, "Besides, I would give you the whole world if I could." Melody smiled and kissed him. He kissed back. He deepened the kiss as he brought his hands around her waist. In turn, she gently took a fistful of his hair, like before, and he growled again. Melody pulled herself closer to him, and Shane growled as sharp lust rose in him, piercing through him so fiercely that he forgot his home, his place in time, his name. Melody was all he knew and all he could feel, and he couldn't be happier.

He pushed her against the tree they had been sitting under, and held her there as he kissed her passionately. He loved the sound of her moans as they continued, sending fire through his body. Melody squeaked when Shane glided his tongue over her bottom lip. He pulled back, thinking he had done something wrong. Melody looked up at him and saw his worried eyes, she smiled back at him.

"I'm fine." She said, "Just… I'm just a bit nervous…" Shane smiled and leaned closer, Melody opened her mouth and let him in. The foreign feeling of having someone else's tongue inside her mouth scared her a little, but the warmth in her body from knowing it was Shane made it disappear. Shane moved his arms from her waist to under her legs and he held her in his arms against the tree. Melody gave a sharp moan as his lips moved from hers to the curve between her shoulder and neck and sucked, pulling a soft fold of her skin into his mouth and caressing it with his tongue and teeth. Her fingers clenched onto the back of his shirt as his stomach pressed between her legs, keeping her in his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and closed her eyes as his mouth moved up her neck and he allowed her to slide back down the tree.

He claimed her mouth again, and as they kissed, Melody moved her hands under his shirt to feel the warm, hard planes of his chest and the softer flesh of his waist and back. She delighted in the noises he made and the way he pulled her ever closer to him. She loved the possessive way he held her, in this moment in time, she wanted him, and she was his. His hands never moved to any private places as they kissed, they were close, though, always close. It wasn't what he was after at that moment, he seemed to be quite content with what he found with out removing her clothes. Shane couldn't seem to get enough of her mouth, or her small curves of which he had free reign over, along with her waist, neck, hips, and shoulders.

When they finally broke apart, a small line of saliva connecting their mouths. Shane looked at Melody's pink cheeks and smiled, she smiled back. He put his forehead against hers as they tried to catch their breath.

"Oh, my God…" Melody breathed out. Shane chuckled.

"What?" He asked, smiling at her.

"I've never… I've never done that before…" Melody panted out, "That was… I don't even know…" Shane chuckled again. "Oh, stop laughing."

"I can't help it." He said, "You're too cute like this." Melody smiled at him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Shane pulled her closer, "We should probably leave now." Melody sighed.

"Yeah, you're probably right." She said, Shane released her from his arms and they started picking up the remnants of their picnic. Melody picked up the plates, glasses, and the candelabra, whose lights had gone out while they had their make-out session. Shane scooped up the blanket and they walked back to Izumi's. When they got there, they were greeted by Winry's cheery face.

"Hey guys!" She said, "So how was your little picnic?" Melody blushed slightly.

"Wonderful." She replied, "Really, really wonderful." Winry smiled.

"That's good," She looked at Melody's necklace, "Did Shane get you that? It's beautiful." Melody held the necklace's jewel in her hand.

"Yeah, he did." She said, "And I love it." She smiled at Shane, who smiled back. He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Happy birthday Melody."

* * *

Shane looked up at the blue sky over the lake. Melody's birthday had come and gone, and now he was riding with her, Izumi, and Mason on the way to get Ed and Al. He looked over at Melody, who had fingers in the water.

He settled his gaze on her and looked at her smiling face. After her birthdays she was normally very content and was in pleasant moods a lot, now she was happy, and he was happy. He saw her notice his gaze on her and she turned to him with a quizzical look.

"What?" She asked, Shane smiled.

"Nothing." He said, Melody shrugged and went back to playing with the lake water. The boat pulled up to the lake shore where Izumi stepped out and in front of Edward and Alphonse. They sat respectively in front of her as she crossed her arms and gave them a hard stare.

"Well, did you remember?" Izumi asked.

"Yes." The brothers responded simultaneously.

"And did you realize?" Izumi asked.

"Teacher," Al said, "We know what you're trying to tell us."

"It's true that we went against the laws of alchemy when we tried to bring our mom back." Edward said, he lowered his head. "What you see before you is our punishment for that."

"But we just want to regain the bodies we lost when we made that mistake." Al said.

"Are you trying to regain something you lost because of a mistake by making another one?" Izumi asked. Al didn't speak again and looked down.

"We know it's not what you taught us." Edward said, "But we…" He clenched his fists, "We have to try, damn it. We can't just give up. Even though we may not have been able to… To bring mom back." He looked up at his teacher, "We're still alive."

"So you're determined to move forward." Izumi said.

"Yes ma'am." The brothers said.

Izumi sighed, "So be it." She jerked her head up and looked toward the forest behind the brothers, "Is there someone out there?" Melody looked around the forest for any signs of movement as the two brothers stood up.

"What are you talking about? 'Course there is." Ed told her, "Somebody was on the island when we were kids, too."

"We figured it was just the same guy in the mask from before." Al said.

"Impossible." Mason said, he raised his hand and smiled, "Since I was the brute in the mask back then." Edward laughed slightly at first, but it quickly disappeared.

"Wait a minute, that was you the whole time?" Edward yelled, pointing his finger at him.

"Yes, I sent him to make sure you didn't die." Izumi said.

"You mean… he's…" Alphonse couldn't put his words together.

"He nearly killed us!" Edward yelled. Izumi's eyes widened at the forest, then narrowed.

"It looks like we don't have time to discuss this right now." She said. The brothers turned around and everyone saw the young boy who came out of the forest. He was wearing the same clothes as Edward, his right arm had more color than his left. He had long, black hair that went down to his waist, with blue eyes and a crooked smile.


	20. Chapter 20

**FINALLY! Chapter 20! I am soooo sorry for the lateness! I do not own FMA.**

**-Chibimaker**

20

Everyone stared at the strange boy, who did nothing but smile. Alphonse turned to Izumi. "You really don't know who this is?" He asked. Mason shook his head and waved his hand in front of his face.

"Trust me, if we were gonna send someone here with you, it wouldn't be a kid." He said, "I would've just come to look after you myself, like last time."

"Look after us?" Alphonse repeated, "You tried to kill us!"

"I was just doing my job." Mason said, "Izumi told me to toughen you up a little bit." Edward took a step towards him.

"Nearly dying of starvation and getting our asses beat was supposed to toughen us up?" Edward yelled. Melody's eyes widened at his description.

"How could you do that to kids?" Alphonse asked, also taking a step forward, "What kind of monster are you?"

Izumi cracked her knuckles and glared at the two brothers, "_Stop bitching about the past and think about someone other than yourselves!_" She yelled. The two stiffened up.

"Yes ma'am!" They said simultaneously. Izumi walked in between the two and headed for the boy.

"Teacher?" Edward asked.

"He's just a kid." She said, "He probably climbed into someone's boat and drifted here on accident, I'm sure his parents are looking for him." She turned her line of sight back to her front, "I'll find out." With the next step, Izumi spat up blood and dropped to one knee in a coughing fit. The boy flinched as the Elrics, Melody, and Shane went over to help her. The boy grabbed a rock in one hand and knelt down to the ground as a familiar blue light surrounded him.

"Brother, that light…!" Alphonse said. Edward stood up.

"That kid's an alchemist!" He started running to where the boy was.

"Ed, wait!" Izumi called, but Ed didn't stop, he tackled the boy to the ground. He tried to hold him down as he squirmed, pushing his hand in Edward's face to try and get him off. Ed grabbed his hand when he did.

"Listen you--!" He was cut off by the other boy's hand coming up and hitting him in the side of his head. He looked to see his fist was made of stone, "You turned your own fist into stone? How the hell did you--" He was cut off by the kid pushing against his face again. The two struggled like that for another second before a clap was heard, and the boy was covered in a blue light. When it disappeared, his clothes were gone, leaves were everywhere, and the rock he held before now only rested on his hand. Edward jumped off of him, "What just happened? His clothes…!"

The boy lay on the ground and started crying, Izumi started taking off her jacket and moved past Edward, "What are you doing?" She asked, "He's just a kid."

"He's an alchemist!" Edward said, "What if somebody sent him here to spy on us?" Izumi saw a large scar on the boy's right shoulder before covering him with her jacket.

"Really, Ed?" Melody said, "A spy? Don't you think you're being a bit paranoid?"

"I'm just being careful!" Ed defended. Izumi took the boy and cradled him in her arms.

"Where are your parents, little one?" She asked him in a soft voice, "How did you get out here?"

"…Don't know." The boy muttered.

"What's your name?" She asked him.

"I don't know… Can't remember… I don't know!" The boy wailed and started crying again. Izumi pulled him close.

"Hey, now, no more crying." Izumi said, "I've got you, little one." The boy stopped crying and wrapped his arms around her. This surprised Izumi at first, and then she held the boy closer and tried to calm him down.

* * *

Melody stood on the roof watching Mason and Shane play a two-on-four game of football with some kids. Edward, Alphonse, and Winry stood up there with her. "I'm glad you two are back." Winry said, "I was getting worried about you."

"Hey, we don't die that easy." Edward replied.

"How's Izumi?" She asked, "Has the teacher forgiven her students?" The two brothers looked over at her, then back to the yard, where Mason had passed the ball to Shane and he was being chased by all the little kids.

"We went against her teachings, Winry." Al said.

"She taught us that we were just a small part of the world." Edward said, looking out at the town in front of him, "There's a cycle to the whole thing, a flow. But we were conceited; we thought we could bend the world any way we wanted. We were young, but that's no excuse." Melody looked over at Edward with saddened eyes. "We let her down."

"Yeah…" Alphonse muttered. "I don't think she'll ever completely forgive us." Melody looked back to the yard, where Shane had one kid on both of his legs, and one on his arm. The last one was holding up the football proudly, and Mason was laughing like a maniac.

"C'mon you're too strong!" Shane yelled, laughing with the kids, "You got me!" Melody smiled at the sight of her own boyfriend being pinned down by three kids, "Okay, let me go! Ha, ha, ha! Come on you lil' monsters, have mercy! Ha, ha, ha!" After a moment of silence, Winry stood up straight.

"That's not fair." She said, everyone looked over at her, "Everybody makes mistakes, doesn't she know that!" She started marching toward the door, "I'm gonna tell her what I think." Immediately the two brothers ran up to stop her. Alphonse was blocking the door, and Edward was holding Winry back.

"I was kidding! I'm sure she'll forgive us!" Ed said, struggling to keep his hold on her.

"Yeah, she just worries about us, that's all." Alphonse said, Winry began to calm down. "We know she loves us, Winry." Winry stopped trying to get to the door and Ed let go of her.

Melody looked over at Edward, "So, what are you gonna do about that kid?" She asked, Ed looked up at her and sighed.

"I'm not sure." He said.

"Why does he bother you?" Winry asked.

"I don't know." He replied, "I guess I just think teacher trusts him too much, too easily."

"Well, in any case, he'll be staying with her for a while until the police find his parents." Melody said, "I think he's just a lost little boy."

"I hope you're right, Melody." Alphonse said. Melody looked up at her armored friend and nodded. She stretched and headed for the door.

"Well, as fun as it is talking to you guys," She said, "I think I'm gonna go and join Shane." She turned to the group, "Oh, and Edward?"

"Yeah?"

"If you don't hurry up, and ask Winry on a date, I'll set her up with Mason!" Edward and Winry blushed six different shades of red.

"Melody!" Winry screeched, Melody laughed and slammed the door behind her before Winry hit her over the head with her wrench. When she left, Winry and Edward glanced back at each other, then quickly looked away with their blushes still on their faces.

* * *

Melody walked outside where Mason and Shane were still playing with the kids. Shane was running from the kids again, and she saw him notice her. She smiled at him and he smiled back, he tossed the ball to Mason, "Hey, I'm gonna take five!" He said, Mason nodded and kept playing with the kids. Shane walked over to her and kissed her cheek. Melody giggled slightly.

"You reek, you know that?" She said, Shane smirked at her, "You smell like gym class. Or one of Louis's nasty sweat socks." Shane huffed out a breath.

"Nice to see you, too, Mel." He said, Melody smiled and took his hand in hers. "What'd you come out here for?"

"I dunno." Melody shrugged, "I just wanted to see you, do you not want to see me?" Shane grinned and pulled her closer by wrapping his arms around her waist. In turn, she put her arms around his neck.

"Nope. I always want to see you, you know that." He said, Melody smiled and Shane kissed her teeth, a giggle bubbled in her throat.

"Eww!" A voice said, the couple looked to see a couple of the kids watching them, Melody instantly jumped away, blushing slightly. "Don'cha know that girls gots cooties?" Shane laughed.

"Yes, and I happen to like _her_ cooties." He said, pointing his thumb at Melody. The boy gave a shocked look, "They make me happy."

"How can cooties make you happy?" Another boy said, "There gross 'cuz girls are gross."

"Well, she's not." Shane said, "Her 'cooties' make me happy because they got something in them no other girl has," He glanced at her, "And I like that." Melody smiled and took his hand.

"You're sweet." She said, she leaned in and kissed his cheek, the boys made barfing noises. "Oh, please." Melody said to them, "If you think that's gross, you ain't seen nothing' yet." She leaned in again and kissed him on the lips. Shane cupped her face in his hands and she placed her arms on his shoulders, the boys kept yelling things like "Oh, gross!" and "Blegh! Sick!" Mason overheard them and looked at the sight and laughed.

"Alright, lovebirds, break it up." He said, they stopped kissing but they didn't move away from each other, "I don't want these kids to actually puke out here, 'cuz God knows what's gonna come here and try to eat it."

"Aw, come on Mason." Melody said, "I can't have ten more seconds?"

"No, because a lot of things can happen in ten seconds and I don't want these kids traumatized for life." Melody fake-groaned.

"Fine." She kissed Shane on the cheek one last time, and stepped back, still holding his hand. "There, happy?"

"Yes, now how about you control yourselves a bit more?" Mason said.

"I did control myself!" Melody said, "I could've done a lot more than what you just saw." The boys made more barfing noises and she and Shane laughed.

* * *

That night, everyone slept. Melody and Winry slept comfortably in their beds, as did Mason, Sig, and Izumi. But Edward, Shane, and Alphonse weren't asleep. Edward sat in front of the door to the boy's room, picking at the lock. Shane and Alphonse were crouched down beside him. Alphonse had come because he had suspicions about the boy like Edward did, Shane was there because he had nothing better to do since Melody was asleep.

"Maybe we shouldn't be doing this." Al whispered, "She locked it with alchemy, if we open it, she'll know!" Edward stopped and looked up at the ceiling.

"That _is_ true…"

* * *

A small part of the ceiling above the boy's room glowed with a blue light. When it disappeared, there was a large hole left. Edward and Shane crawled through.

"You just put this back exactly the way it was." Edward said to Alphonse.

"Why me?" Al squeaked. Shane and Edward jumped in, and Edward saw that the kid wasn't in the bed. Shane turned and saw the kid hanging upside down from the rod holding the curtains of the window in the room.

"You wanna play?" He asked, Ed whirled around to see him, "Everyone's dead, so I got bored. Did you come to play with me?" Alphonse jumped down from the hole and saw him hanging upside down as well.

"They're not dead. They're just asleep." Shane said.

"I know what we should play!" The boy jumped down, "This game!" He darted around the room after something, when he caught it he raised it up to them to see that it was a mouse. "See, I won! I've watched you play this game before!" The two brothers shared a glance as they remembered chasing a mouse on the island Izumi had sent them to yesterday.

"So it was you." Al said, "You were watching us on the island." The boy playfully poked at the mouse in his hand, then held it out again.

"But why? Where'd you come from kid?" Edward asked, he looked at the mouse he held out as it began to twist and squirm violently because the boy began to squeeze it. He held the mouse up and laughed at its squirms.

"Stop that, you're hurting it." Shane said, he stepped forward to take it from him, "Let go!" The boy held the mouse away from him.

"Play with me!" He yelled, he started walking around him.

"An animal isn't a toy for you to play with!" Edward said, reaching out for the mouse, but the boy still held it away, laughing. He started jumping around the room, first he jumped on the bed, and then he did a handstand on the dresser and jumped to land on the floor, all the while chanting "I'm playing! I'm playing!" "Hey, keep it down! You're gonna wake 'em all up, you idiot!" When the boy didn't stop, Ed clapped his hands together, "Okay, fine!" He transmuted the sheets on the bed into a rope that tied around the boy's feet. He fell on the bed and dropped the mouse, which happily scurried along the walls and away from the boy's grasp.

The boy looked at the rope and lifted his feet up, smiling as he said, "Look, look!"

"You can do that, too. Can't you?" Edward asked, the boy shook his head no. "Don't lie to me, earlier on the island you transmuted a rock onto your hand, and your clothes were transmuted, too, weren't they!"

"Calm down, brother, you're scaring him." Al said.

"Al, you saw what he did, didn't you?" Edward asked him, "Alchemy without a circle. The only people who can do that are me and teacher." The boy started trying to pull the rope off of his feet, "Then, she acted like she didn't even notice he did it. I call that strange." Ed looked and saw him struggling with the rope, "What's the matter? Just use alchemy!"

The boy grunted trying to get it off, but it didn't work. "Untie it, untie it!" He said. Alphonse stepped forward.

"Brother, you don't think this boy has anything to do with the others…?" Al said.

"Al, I've seen his face somewhere before, I know I have." Edward said to him, "I just need to figure out where." A light suddenly came from the boy as the bed was transmuted into his body, he was wailing and crying the whole time. When it was finished, the top of the bed had swirled into him, and the rest of it was in a cone-like shape.

"Ed, what did you do?" Shane asked as he stared at the boy.

"I didn't do anything!" Ed replied, "I couldn't transmute a body and a bed even if I wanted to!" The boy screamed again, and the door to his room slammed open, revealing one pissed-off Izumi, a tired Melody, and a stone faced Sig. Izumi kicked the three of them across the room.

"How am I supposed to sleep with all this noise?" She yelled, she stood back up and Sig tapped her shoulder.

"Hey." She glanced over at him and he pointed to the boy as he screamed and writhed. Her eyes widened at the sight, as did Melody's when she saw it. Edward jumped up as she walked over to him.

"Hold on, teacher, we didn't do anything!" He said.

"It's true!" Al said, "I know Ed lies sometimes, but he's not lying about this, I promise!" Izumi brushed her hand against the part of the bed that would've been made of wood, to find it was soft like the sheets.

"Thanks, Al, you're a big help." Ed growled, Izumi sighed.

"I know." She said, "No alchemist I train could transmute something so unrefined, not even mixing animals into chimeras is this crass." She looked up at the boy, who was still screaming.

"Let me go! Let me down!" He wailed.

"Stop crying!" Izumi yelled. Her tone of voice instantly made him stop, she put on a soft smile and spoke more calmly, "It's alright, now can you remember what your original form was?" She reached up and held his hand, "That's all you have to do, just remember what you were." He looked down into her motherly face, "It's okay. Just take your time." There was silence for a couple moments, then the bed began to glow. Sure enough, the bed began to morph back into its original form, the boy being lowered into Izumi's arms. When he reached the ground, Izumi embraced him and he softly cried into her. The group stared at the small spectacle, and Alphonse noticed the skin of his left leg was a different shade from the rest of his skin, it ended at the base his leg. Izumi picked up the blanket on the bed and wrapped it around him.

"_Now explain yourselves!_" Izumi yelled, Edward and Alphonse stood upright. "What were you trying to accomplish by frightening this poor child!" The Elrics bowed low.

"Please forgive us, teacher." They said, Izumi glanced at Shane, who shrugged.

"They woke me up, and I had nothing better to do." He explained, she narrowed her eyes into a glare, and he froze up, "I didn't do a thing, I only watched! Honest!" The glare lifted, but she didn't say anything. Melody walked over to him, sleepily rubbing her eye. She smiled at him and he smiled back, "Did we wake you up?" She shook her head no, "Well, I'm still sorry, nonetheless." He kissed her forehead and put his arm around her, she leaned into him and sighed. "Still tired, huh?" She nodded her head. "Anyone ever tell you how cute you are half asleep?" She stuck her tongue out at him, "I'm just saying, I think you look cute with sleepers in your eyes." She grumbled inaudibly and leaned into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry to say, teacher, but I don't think that boy is human." Edward said, standing up, "I think he's one of those creatures who've been hunting us." Sig walked over to Izumi.

"Just who, or what, is hunting you?" He asked, Edward looked up at him for a moment, then turned his gaze to the floor.

"Who knows? They say they're homunculi." Ed muttered. Izumi's eyes widened at his words.


	21. Chapter 21

21

In Central, more specifically the office of Fuhrer King Bradley, his secretary, Miss Julia Douglas, was speaking to someone over the phone. "I can't keep losing track of all of you." She said, "I have a few things I need to accomplish myself." The door opened and she stood and covered the phone as they walked in, she calmed down once she saw that it was the Fuhrer and sat down again, "Their teacher lives in a town called Dublith, why don't you try there?"

On the other end of the line, Lust, Gluttony, and Envy all sat in a dark room as Envy spoke to the secretary. "I'll leave Greed to Lust and Gluttony, then." Envy said, "What should I do with the Elric boys if I find them in Dublith?"

"Nothing." The secretary replied, "They still haven't given up on the stone, arrange for them to have another opportunity to create it."

Envy smirked, "You may be the youngest among us, but you give orders like you're all grown up."

"Of course, I would like those boys to create a philosopher's stone." She said, "But we can't have them sticking their noses into that Ishbal business. I assume you understand."

"Yes, yes, I understand." Envy replied, "But what about those other kids with them? That foreign boy and his cute little girlfriend?"

"If they get in your way, feel more than welcome to take them out." The secretary said, "We have no need for two teenagers who can't perform alchemy."

* * *

Edward, Alphonse, Shane, Melody, Izumi, and Sig were all in the same room. Ed and Al sat at a table across from Izumi, Sig leaned against the wall, and Melody sat on the floor, next to Shane who was also leaning on the wall. Edward had just finished explaining his encounter with the homunculi, telling about why they had been chasing after him. "So why don't these homunculi create their own philosopher's stone?" Izumi asked.

"They just said that they couldn't create it themselves." Edward said, "That they can't perform alchemy."

"That would mean this child's different from all of them." Izumi said.

"That's true, but I've never seen an alchemist transmute their own body." Ed said, "Involuntary systems get in the way, and no human should be able to do it. You know that."

"And think about it, teacher." Al said, "He transmutes without a circle, just like you and brother," Ed looked over at his younger brother, "so that must mean--"

"Al, leave it." Ed hissed. Melody quirked a brow at this, did they know how they were able to perform alchemy without a circle? What did they do?

"You lost your memory when it happened, right Al?" Izumi asked.

"What do you mean?" Al asked, genuinely confused. Izumi turned to Ed.

"You remember it, though." She said, "Don't you Edward?"

"Yes…" Edward said, his voice low, "The gateway." Izumi nodded solemnly and Sig stood up, he grabbed Shane's arm and picked Melody up by her shirt collar.

"Hey!" She protested as he took them out of the room. He put them on the floor and shut the door behind him, "What the heck was that for!"

"This is a matter that doesn't concern you, or Shane, or myself." He said, "It's best to leave it that way." Melody glared at him as he walked away.

"Sheesh, just 'cuz we don't know any alchemy…" She grumbled. She turned to Shane, "Tell me when he comes back." She went over to the door and put her ear to it.

"Mel! What are ya doing!" Shane hissed.

"Just shut up and keep watch!" Melody hissed back, "I'm not going to get left out on this…" She closed her eyes and could hear Edward speaking.

"I remember…" He said, "How could I not? The truth, that's what was in there."

"The truth?" Izumi repeated.

"I couldn't understand what was going on." Edward said, "It was as if a vast amount of information was being implanted directly into my brain. And suddenly I… I knew things… about alchemy that I never learned! Everything… And I knew that I was just one step away from achieving a complete human transmutation…" Edward paused, remembering his time inside the gate, and remembering the monstrosity he found that was supposed to be his mother, and remembering how Alphonse had been deconstructed, and there was nothing left of him when he woke up, "I understood when I was inside that gateway… If I acted now, there was still time…" An unnerving silence filled the room.

"By the time I came to," Alphonse said, his voice cracking, "I was already in this shell, and the thing that was supposed to be mom… was dead."

"I saw the truth while inside that gateway." Edward said, "That's why I'm able to transmute without a circle, and how I bonded Al's soul to the suit of armor. I learned it all in there."

"You really think it's the truth that's beyond that gateway?" Izumi asked him.

"Of course, what else could it be?" Edward asked. Melody opened her eyes as Shane shook her shoulder.

"Sig's coming back!" He hissed. Melody nodded and stood up from the door, she took his hand and led him away.

"Come on, we can't let him get suspicious." She said, Shane said nothing as she dragged him upstairs. When they reached the top of the staircase, she stopped walking, but didn't release his hand.

"Melody…?" Shane asked hesitantly, "Are you alright?" Melody turned around and faced him. "You're acting a bit weird."

"I don't like being left out." She said, shrugging. She said nothing as she looked away from him, seeming to be deep in thought, "Shane?"

"Hm?"

"Do you… Do you remember anything about coming here? To Amestris?" She asked, Shane closed his eyes for a moment in thought.

"I remember… Circles, lots of circles." He said, opening his eyes, "Now that I think about it, they were probably transmutation circles. They covered the room I was in and I couldn't find a door."

"You don't remember anything else?" Melody asked, Shane shook his head.

"No, I don't think anything else happened before I wound up in the middle of some street." He said, "Why?"

"Ed and Izumi," Melody said, "They were talking about some thing called 'the gateway.' It has something to do with alchemy, of that much I'm certain." She looked up at him, "Think about this for a second, what are gates used for?"

"To get in and out of places." Shane answered, his eyes widened when he realized what she was saying, "Wait, you don't think we somehow went through that gate and…?" Melody nodded her head.

"Right now, it's all I can think of." She said, "Edward told Izumi that the gate led him to the truth, if that's right, then our way home should be hidden somewhere in that truth." Shane looked at her with widened eyes.

"Do you think he remembers that?" Shane asked, "Didn't he do that human transmutation crap, like, five years ago or something? He couldn't possibly remember."

"He probably doesn't." Melody said, "For now, it's just a theory, but it just might be possible. If an alchemist did a transmutation in just the right way…"

"If an alchemist did do it," Shane said, "How would they know what they were doing? I mean, only alchemists who don't use a circle have seen the thing, and as far as we know, that's Izumi and Edward."

"But there might've been others!" Melody said, "Maybe they did something stupid and ended up dying in the process, yet we came here just the same!" She looked to the floor. "I know it's because of alchemy we're here, we just need to figure out why…"

* * *

In Central, Hawkeye, Fury, Falman, and Havoc were unloading boxes into the new Central office where Colonel Mustang had been placed. The door suddenly burst open where a man with a hairstyle similar to that of Armstrong's and a similar moustache saluted them. He sent the entire room into a panic as he said, "Gentleman! How wonderful of you to join us!" Havoc, Fury, and Falman ran around in a complete panic. Then Havoc stopped and walked up to the strange looking Armstrong, "I, Alex Louis Armstrong, welcome you with the utmost respect and admiration! Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

"You know, you got a real sick sense of humor, Breda." Havoc said as he lightly slapped Breda's face.

"You scared us to death." Fury said, smiling and beggining to calm down from his friend's practical joke.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" Breda laughed, taking off the cap-wig and fake moustache, "Still, you never know when he's gonna strike. You might as well be prepared. Next time, it'll be him!"

"The major isn't in town at the moment." Hawkeye said as she opened another box, apparently, the only one unfazed by Breda's prank.

"Is that right?" Breda asked, "Where is he?"

"He's off conducting an investigation with the officer assigned to the court martial office." Hawkeye said as she placed a lamp on Mustang's would-be desk, "The man who's taken over for Brigadier General Hughes."

"Yeah, I've been wondering, who is that guy?" Havoc asked.

"I believe his name," Hawkeye said, "is Archer."

"Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer." Falman said, recognizing the name.

"So, you've heard of him?" Fury asked, turning to Falman.

"He's a man dedicated to his military duties." Falman said solemnly as he opened another box with books inside.

"Wait, I don't get it." Fury said, "That's a good thing, isn't it?" Falman put the books from the box onto a desk.

"By 'military duties,'" He said, "I mean to say that the man enjoys war."

* * *

Armstrong looked nervously over at Frank Archer as they rode the train. He was a pale man, with a very angular face, with dark hair and blue eyes. Archer was calmly going over some documents in front of him. "Lieutenant Colonel," Armstrong said, "I know I've already told you this, but-" Archer raised a hand for him to stop.

"Yes, you don't know where the Elric brothers, or Miss Kilgore, or Mr. Trublood have run off to." Archer said, "What are you, a broken record, Armstrong?"

"But, there's no evidence that they even went south." Armstrong said.

"I believe there's enough evidence for us to investigate further." Archer replied calmly.

"Why? Do you have someone watching them?" Armstrong asked sternly, "Those children are not traitors, you know."

"Perhaps…" Archer said, looking at a different document, "But I don't have any intention of just letting them roam around freely the way Mustang has done up until now." He looked up at the major with eyes that were just as blue, and just as piercing as ice. "For the sake of the upcoming battle, you understand?" The train whistle blew as the train continued on down its tracks.

* * *

Melody and Shane came upstairs and saw Mason sitting outside the door to Ed and Al's room, "Sorry about this." He said to the brothers, "But Izumi told me not to let you guys out or she'd skin me alive."

"You ask her where she was going?" Edward's voice sounded on the other side of the door.

"No, she asked me to have the boat ready so maybe she went to the island again." Mason said, he looked up at Melody and Shane as they come up to him. "What's up, guys? Need something?"

"We need to talk to Ed for a second, Mason." Melody said, "I know they're not allowed out of their rooms, but if you could just let us in…"

"What do you need to talk about?" Mason asked, Melody was about to say an excuse, but Shane spoke before she could.

"It's a private matter." He said sternly. "They're the only ones that need to hear it." Mason nodded and stood up.

"Guys, Shane and Mel are comin' in." He said as he opened the door. Edward looked up at the two as they walked inside, Mason shutting the door behind them.

"Hey, what is it?" Edward asked, noticing the serious expression on Melody's face.

"Ed, listen." She said, "Earlier today, you were talking with Izumi about something called the gateway, and--"

"Al, what are you doing?" Shane said, noticing Alphonse drawing a transmutation circle on the floor around a small radio. Al looked up at him and made a shushing sound as he activated the transmutation, and turned the radio into a telephone.

"Winry, sorry, but since we can't come out of our room…" Al said.

"Hi, Al." Winry's voice came from the other end. "Hey, what did you guys do to this boy anyway? He's completely terrified."

"Clever…" Shane muttered, Melody elbowed him, "Ow, what!"

"Did you forget why we're here!" Melody hissed. Edward quirked an eyebrow at her words before turning his attention back to his brother.

"Winry, this may sound strange, but there's something I need to ask." Al said, "It's about the boy's body, will you check something for me?"

"Al, what are you talking about?" Edward asked.

"You mean the scars?" Winry asked, not hearing Ed, "Yeah, I was surprised, too. What do you suppose happened to him? They go all the way around the base of his right arm and left leg." Edward's eyes widened and Alphonse looked up at him.

"Al, wait a minute…" Edward said in a low voice, "You don't think…?"

"Think about it, brother." Alphonse said, "You said you saw his face on the other side of the gate." Ed clapped his hands and transmuted through the floor. The falling bits of wood made Winry and the boy move away as Ed jumped down from his room.

"What's wrong!" Sig asked, he didn't get his question answered because Ed transmuted the floor to block the door to the boy's room. Mason came in as Al was jumping down after his brother.

"Guys, if Izumi finds out about this, she'll kill you." Mason said.

"This won't take long." Al said as he jumped down. Melody followed after him.

"Come on, you guys!" Winry said, shielding the boy from Edward, "Izumi told you not to go near this boy, I can't let you do this!" Edward walked up to her.

"Like he said," Edward put his hand on her shoulder, "This won't take long." He pushed her out of the way and slammed his hands on the wall behind the boy, trapping him in the process. The boy's eyes were wide with fear, and Edward only looked down at the ground. "It's not true. Tell me it isn't true…" Edward muttered in a low voice, "It was… It was an equivalent exchange!"

"What was, Ed?" Melody asked, concerned for her alchemist friend and for the boy he was obviously scaring the daylights out of.

"Mom's body, in exchange for my leg…" Edward continued, "Al's soul. My brother's soul…! In exchange for my arm…!" He raised his head and looked at the boy with angered and confused eyes, "I thought it was an equivalent exchange!" Ed grabbed the boy's shirt and ripped it so he could see his shoulder. When he looked at it, he saw where the base of the different skin tone began, and that there was a large gash on his right arm. He grabbed the boy's wrist and held up his arm, "Tell me, do you know what this gash is from?" The boy slowly shook his head no, Edward looked at the gash, "It's the scar from the fox bite…" His eyes widened, "This is _my arm__!_"

The boy jerked himself away from Ed and used his unique alchemy to smash the glass of the window, so he could jump out. Ed went after him just as Sig came through the hole he had made. "Ed, no!" He called, but Edward didn't listen.

"Edward!" Melody jumped out the window, following the blonde alchemist as he chased the boy from the island. Sig came up behind her, and was about to follow them, before Al spoke.

"What if it's true?" He said, Sig looked over at the suit of armor, "What if the boy's arm and leg really are his?" Sig said nothing as he stared at him.

* * *

Edward chased after the boy as he ran through the streets, through alley after alley, around corner after corner. His legs didn't seem to stop running, and Melody followed him as quickly as she could. All three of them were unaware of the cloaked person watching them from atop a building.

* * *

Izumi walked to a small stone area with four stone towers a few feet off the ground where a small path had been indented, as if something had been dragged through the ground. Or, in this case, something pulled itself along the ground so it could move. Izumi kneeled down to it and touched the path that had been made, her eyes glistening when she realized what had happened. Her thoughts were cut short as she suddenly started coughing up blood.

* * *

**Oh My God! I finally found a website with the episodes I'm looking for! FINALLY! It took me for-freaking-ever! I am so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so soooooo sorry for the lateness! I am really so utterly and completely sorry! Still, I do not own the FMA (I really wish I did because that would make it a whole lot easier to finish this stupid thing!), and I appreciate reviews and flames!**

**-Chibimaker ^_^**


	22. Chapter 22

22

Edward used his feet to their full potential as he followed after the boy, Melody right on their tail, "Hey, kid! Wait up!" Edward yelled after the boy. "Hey hold on a sec!" The boy continued to run, ignoring Edward's calls. "Listen, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to attack you like that back there!"

"You better be!" Melody yelled, "If you're lying, Ed, I'm gonna find a crowbar and keep hitting 'till you bleed!" Ed grimaced at the thought of Melody beating him over the head with a crowbar. The boy ran up to a wall, where he used his unique alchemy to slip through it to the other side. Edward and Melody ran up to the wall, both shocked.

"Did he just slide through a solid brick wall!" Melody asked, "Can alchemy do that?"

"Not to my knowledge." Edward muttered, glancing at her, he turned his attention back to the wall, "You're a real pain!" He yelled to the kid. He clapped his hands to perform a transmutation, but before he put his hands on the wall, he stopped. "If you can't tell, I'm a little busy right now." Melody quirked an eyebrow, then saw who he was speaking to. It was a small man with dirty-looking skin wearing tattered clothes that covered most of his face, except for the big nose he had. His feet were showing and he had extremely long toes, his smile was wide and sneering.

"They say you're a genuine State Alchemist, who's looking to get his hands on the philosopher's stone." The man said, his voice reminding Melody of one of those cartoon snakes you would see on television. "Is that correct?" Edward quirked an eyebrow at the man, somewhat surprised he knew that.

* * *

Shane, Winry, and Mason peered through the door as Sig spoke to two military men. One of them Shane and Winry recognized as Major Armstrong, the other man neither of them knew, although Shane was pretty sure he wouldn't forget a face like his. Sig was telling them the prices on the meats they had in order to cover for the boys and Melody, "Half a pound of ham, 128 sens." He said.

"I need to speak with Izumi." The unknown man said, "Can you tell me where to find her?"

"Chicken breast, 160 sens." Sig said, ignoring his question.

"Alright, maybe you can tell me if the Elric brothers, Edward or Alphonse, have been here?" The man continued.

"Smoked sausage, 27 sens a pound." Sig said, ignoring him again.

"Fine then, perhaps you can tell me if a young woman named Melody Kilgore, or a young foreign man named Shane Trublood have been here?" The man continued.

"Any clue who this joker is?" Mason whispered, "Or what he might want with Ed and Al and Mel?"

"Dunno about the lil' one." Shane whispered back, "But the other one's usually pretty friendly, weird, but friendly."

"He normally is." Winry agreed, "But he doesn't look happy now. And I'm guessing if he's looking for the boys or Mel, then he can't be too good."

Sig's harsh stare was unfaltering as he continued to speak. "Top-grade, boneless chuck roast, 200 per pound."

"We're here on official military business." The man said, "You have no need to protect them."

"Ground beef, pork, or turkey, 98 sens a pound." Sig continued. The man stood up straighter and Major Armstrong stepped forward.

"I'll take care of this one, sir." He said before taking off his shirt and dropping it on the ground, looking Sig straight in the eye as he did so. He then struck a pose and started flexing his muscles and making them pulsate. He looked at Sig in a challenging sort of way. Sig relaxed for a moment before flexing his own gigantic muscles, ripping off his shirt in the process, and making a similar pose. He stared at Armstrong, who started to stand straight and make a motion as if to attack. Winry, fearing the worst, ran out of the room with Mason and Shane following.

"Stop, Major! Ed and Al are--" She stopped seeing as he wasn't trying to hit him, "What the…?" She saw the major had reached out his hand to shake Sig's hand. Sig's face was the same as ever, while Armstrong was tearing up.

"Guess they've earned each other's respect." Mason said, "The muscles did the talking for them." Shane sweat dropped.

"That's just odd." Winry muttered. The man walked up to them so swiftly, he surprised Winry enough to back up to the wall behind her.

"What's that you were saying, Miss?" He asked, "About Edward and Alphonse?" He smiled at her, and she nervously smiled back. Shane's eyes narrowed and he stepped in front of her.

"Why do you want to know?" He asked sternly, the man looked up at him, bearing that same smile.

"We're here on official military business, and intend to take them back to Central." He said, his eyes narrowed slightly before speaking again, "Major Armstrong."

"Yes, sir?" Armstrong responded, turning his attention to him.

"Isn't this boy Shane Trublood?" The man asked. Shane stiffened considerably and took a step back. "He fits your description of him perfectly."

"Yes, sir it is." Armstrong said, stepping forward, "A pleasure to see you again, Mr. Trublood. Although, the conditions could have been better." Shane 'tsked' and glared at the Major.

* * *

Melody and Edward both looked at the cloaked man. "I don't know what you mean." Edward told him.

"Oh, I think you do." The man replied, "Rumor has it you used your brother's body as a sacrifice, and had to transmute his soul." The man stepped closer to him, "Though why you used his and not your own they don't sa--ow!" The man jumped back and held his nose from Edward kicking him in his weird little face. The hood of the cloak came off, revealing a bald head, some splotchy bits of skin, and two tiny ears. He looked an awful lot like the human version of a lizard without the scales and creepy tongue.

"Ungrateful bastard!" The man hissed, "I'm trying to take you both to safety! And that means you," He pointed his finger at Ed, "And that freak you call a brother!" The man was suddenly picked up by a certain seven-foot tall suit of armor.

"Who are you calling a freak?" Alphonse asked him. The man's eyes widened for a moment before smirking and knocking Al's head off with a gigantic tail that moved in excitement when he landed on all fours, laughing at the empty suit.

"Gya, ha, ha, ha, ha! It's true, you're really hollow as a tin can!" The man laughed, "Tucker was right!"

"Tucker?" Al repeated.

"Now you're dead!" Ed yelled as the man started running.

"Don't get upset!" He called to them, "It's not like it hurt when I decapitated him!" Edward glared and clapped his hands together.

"You won't get away that easy!" He yelled as he put them to the ground, transmuting a giant wall that was as tall as the buildings that looked over the street, blocking the man's way. The man stepped back and looked up at the wall.

"Your powers are uncanny! Then again," The man jumped onto the wall and climbed up using his hands and feet like a lizard, slithering around until he reached the top. When he reached the top he looked back at the group of teenagers, saying, "I'm uncanny, too!" He jumped off and the three teens looked up at where he with slack jaws and wide eyes.

"What the hell was that thing?" Edward asked no one in particular. Melody heard footsteps and turned to see two military men. One she didn't recognize, the other she saw was Major Armstrong. The man looked from where the strange lizard-man had been.

"A chimera, interesting." He said, "It must have escaped from laboratory five during all the commotion." The Elrics turned around to see them.

"Hey, Major." Melody greeted, "Haven't seen you for a while." She looked at the pale, blue-eyed man. "Who's this?"

"Yes. This man is Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer." Armstrong said, introducing him, "He's the ranking officer in charge of the military court."

"Then what are you doing this far south?" Ed asked.

"The military court?" Alphonse repeated, "You must work pretty closely with Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, then. How's he doing?" Melody noticed Armstrong stiffening up at the mention of Hughes. She raised an eyebrow in curiosity, she would have to ask him herself later.

"We'd like to ask you some questions." Archer said, "Regarding that chimera and a few more unexplained events."

"I'd love to stick around and chat," Edward said, clapping his hands in transmutation preparation, "but we don't have time right now." He put his hands against the wall he made and transmuted a hole for them to go through. He looked over at his brother and Melody, "Let's go guys."

"Right behind you." Al said, Melody nodded and they both followed Ed as he ran down the street. Archer and Armstrong watched them go.

"This is certainly getting interesting." Archer said, "A perfectly functioning chimera." He smiled darkly, "It will be mine." He walked after the Elrics and Melody with Armstrong following.

* * *

Edward, Alphonse, and Melody found the kid sitting on the top of someone's roof. As they climbed up, Melody saw the kid put his hands together, like you would for a transmutation, then he put his feet together and started to tumble down the roof. They acted fast, Al hanging onto the roof while holding onto Melody, who held onto Ed, who had grabbed the kid to keep him from falling over. When he stopped, he looked up asking, "What happened?" He looked over and saw the three of them.

"'What happened?' We just saved your dumb ass!" Edward said. They pulled him up and they sat on the edge of the roof. Al sat next to the boy, who was sitting next to Ed, who was sitting next to Melody. The boy looked at the three of them, and then looked down at his own hands.

"How come my arms and legs look so different from all of yours?" The boy asked. Ed's eyes widened for a second, then he looked at his automail hand.

"That's because… this arm and one of my legs aren't real." Ed answered. The boy looked up at him.

"That's dumb." He said, "What'd you do with the real ones you were born with?" Ed met his gaze.

"It's hard to explain." He replied, he looked down at the ground beneath them with a saddened face.

"Well, where are they now?" The boy asked. Wanting to avoid that question, Al spoke up.

"What about you?" He asked, "Are you sure you don't remember how you got this scar?" Al pointed to the gash on the boy's shoulder. The boy looked down at it.

"No." He answered. Ed and Al shared a glance, then they went up to the top of the roof to speak where the kid wouldn't hear them. Melody stayed next to the boy as he swung his legs off the side of the roof. "Are one of your arms fake, too?" Melody shook her head and held up her right hand.

"Nope, my arms and legs are 100% real." She said, smiling. The boy smiled back, then looked over at the Elrics as they conversed.

"Are they mad at me?" The boy asked, Melody shook her head.

"No, they're just…" She paused to find the right word, "Confused about something." The boy gave her a puzzled look, then turned back to the Elrics.

"Hey, is everything okay?" The boy asked them, "Or did I do something wrong?" Before Ed could answer, everyone heard a strange noise, and something crashed into the clock on top of the roof, covering them in rubble. Melody looked down to see the Major was transmuting rocks into gigantic bullets and firing them.

"Major!" Melody called, "What the hell are you doing!" No response was heard as he fired another rock. This time, the boy lost his balance and fell off from the roof. Melody moved to catch him, but Ed held her back.

"Don't! You'll fall, too!" He told her. The boy was caught by Major Armstrong, who then pulled out his pocket watch and used the chain to tie up the boy. Ed transmuted the wall of the building and jumped down the bits of concrete that jutted out from the wall. "What do you want to do with him? He's an innocent kid who's totally lost his memory!"

"This kid," Archer said, picking him up and slinging him over his shoulder, "May be a material witness to everything that happened at lab five. He's coming to south headquarters for questions."

"But he doesn't even know his own name!" Melody yelled, jumping down.

"Perhaps, but we've managed to get a solid clue as to his identity." Archer replied, he lifted up the boy's right foot to reveal an oroboros tattoo. Edward gasped and Melody's eyes went wide.

"That mark…" Al murmured, "It's what the homunculi had…"

"Give me a few good hours with him and he'll lead us to the ones who destroyed lab five." Archer said, walking away with the Major following him. Ed scowled and jumped down onto the ground.

"Major!" Armstrong turned to Edward.

"Go to your teacher's house, Edward." Armstrong said, "Wait there so we can find you when we're done. I'm afraid we're going to need to take your testimony again." Ed scowled again.

"I thought this whole investigation had been suspended by the fuehrer himself." Edward said. Melody looked over at him.

"By the who?" She asked quickly, she hadn't heard the term 'fuehrer' since she was studying WWII. Armstrong said nothing as he continued to follow Archer.

"A long time ago," Ed started, catching his attention, "A fox took a bite out of my arm." He brought his left hand up to his right shoulder, "Right here. That kid has the same wound in the same spot, then there's his left leg, which doesn't look like it belongs with the rest of his body." Armstrong turned to him.

"You honestly believe his arm and leg are yours?" He asked, "That's preposterous, Ed."

"I'm not sure!" Edward said, "That's why I need a chance to confirm it!" Armstrong gazed at him for a moment before speaking.

"Don't pursue this." He said quietly. Edward and Melody gave him looks of surprise and confusion. Ed's face quickly twisted into a scowl as his brother spoke, coming down from the roof.

"How can we stop?" Al asked, "This is the kind of break we've been hoping for."

"Say we do investigate." Armstrong started, "And say we find some way to prove that those are indeed your limbs. Then what? What would you do, Ed?" The brothers looked taken aback by the question, they hadn't thought that far… "Would you tear them from his body and sew them on yourself?"

"Of course not." Ed answered.

"Then you're better off never knowing the truth." Armstrong said as he walked away. No one in the group was aware that the lizard-man chimera had followed the brothers and heard everything that was said about the boy. Especially the part about the oroboros tattoo on the kid's foot.

* * *

"…Then the military man slung him over his back and carried him all the way to south headquarters for questioning!" The chimera said over the phone. The receiving end of his call was taken in a pub called 'Devil's Nest.' He had just recapped what he had heard about the boy being a homunculus to his leader, who was one himself.

"What a shame, but good for you for finding him. He sounds special." Greed said. Greed was a tall homunculus with the oroboros tattoo on his left hand, his skin was tanned and his hair was a dark brown, he wore a black sleeveless shirt underneath a vest with a white fur collar, underneath the shirt you could see he was ripped, he had sharp teeth and a small pair of sunglasses that covered his purple eyes. He also wore a couple of wristbands, leather pants, and a pair of boots. "I want you to forget about tracking the Smelric brothers and their groupies for now and keep your eye on the little imp, you got it?"

Greed hung up and handed the phone back to the person who was holding it. "Turns out those Elric boys and their little friends are exactly as you described them." Greed said, speaking to a man who wore a gigantic trench coat, a hat, and had a collar that covered up most of his face, he spoke just above a whisper.

"Ah, yes, I'm sure they'll be of great use to you." Tucker said.

"When I first heard that Envy, Pride, and the rest were after these twerps, I didn't give a damn anyway." Greed said, holding out his hand so one of the women next to him could get it up to him, "I just wanted to grab them myself to piss off the others. But now the boys have led us to someone actually worth chasing." He tapped the heel of his foot against the coffee table they were resting on, "To think, there's a homunculus like me who can honestly use alchemy… We need to have him on our side, or things may get complicated later."

A man with brown hair and a sword on his waist stepped up, "Let me break him out, sir." He said.

"Have you gone insane?" Greed asked, "You can't just go charging into that place, it's a bloody fortress. You're a former military lab rat, I shouldn't have to tell you that." The man bowed in apology.

"Not that anyone asked, but I used to be stationed at south headquarters back in the day." A voice said. The voice came from a man with long dark hair tied into a ponytail that went down to his mid-back region. He wore a red suit, had yellow eyes and a cocky smile.

"You're right, we didn't ask so keep your trap shut." A blonde woman with a large purple tattoo on her shoulder that traveled up to her face said, "State alchemist."

"No, since you so passive aggressively volunteered, perhaps you can guide these two there." Greed said, "But if I learned that you've betrayed our cause, I won't be feeling too friendly." The man stood up, keeping the smile on his face.

"You can rest easy, boss man." He said, "All I'm really wanting is a chance to make some fireworks again." He eyed a small bag in the corner of the room.

* * *

Edward, Alphonse and Izumi stood in the room where the boy had been staying before Ed had scared him so much that he ran away. Melody, Shane, Winry, and Sig stood outside it, watching as Izumi looked over the room.

"What did you boys do to him?" Izumi asked sternly.

"We didn't do anything." Edward said. Izumi turned to Shane and Melody.

"And you two?" She asked.

"We didn't touch him." Melody said.

"Why are you making such a big fuss over him anyway, teacher?" Alphonse asked, Izumi turned to him, "Maybe it's the best thing for him. They might be able to track down his identity, and besides, he's not human." The whole room cast their eyes on Al as he spoke, "You may not believe they exist, we didn't. But we've seen more than our share of homunculi recently. They're real, and they're terrifying." Melody unconsciously touched her cheek from when the homunculus called Envy had traced his finger down her skin, she shuddered, "They have powers that ordinary humans don't. A mouth that can chew through metal, fingers that can stretch and pierce anything, there's even a homunculus that can morph into anyone. That child may have special abilities, teacher, but that's because he's a monster."

Izumi's glare hardened as she walked over to Alphonse and shoved him back about a foot. "Do you have the slightest idea how a homunculus is brought into this world, Alphonse?" Izumi asked, her voice as cold and hard as her stare.

"Take it easy…" Winry murmured, hoping something bad wouldn't happen.

"Do you take me for a fool? That I'd be so blind as to not realize," Izumi said, "Exactly what this child is?" Edward and Alphonse gaped at her. As did Melody and Shane. She knew the whole time? Suddenly, Izumi hunched over, coughing up blood.

"Teacher!" The brothers exclaimed.

"Miss Izumi!" Winry and Melody exclaimed. Sig came rushing past the kids, picked up his wife, and ran off to take her to the hospital. Melody and Shane watched with wide eyes.

* * *

The group of teenagers sat outside Izumi's room as she rested. Alphonse and Edward were sitting down in a couple of chairs, Winry was standing, Melody was leaning against the wall, and Shane was standing next to her.

"So, she's been sick all this time?" Winry asked the two boys.

"Yeah, but since she always acts so strong," Al said, looking down to the floor, "Sometimes, we forget."

"What's she sick with?" Shane asked, standing straight, "Maybe if we got her to a hospital in Central, they'd find a cure."

"Young man, I'm afraid that won't do her much good." A voice said, Melody turned to see a mustachioed doctor with a pair of glasses walk up.

"No offense, Doc," Melody said, "But I'm pretty sure a big city hospital would be better equipped for this kind of thing."

"He means what she's got can't be cured." Edward said in a quiet voice. Melody turned to him with wide eyes. The doctor let out a sigh and led the group into another room where he showed them a small dummy that had a hole in it, showing all the human organs.

"All of her internal organs from here," He pointed to her liver, "To here," He pointed to the end of her large intestine, "Are missing."

"Missing?" Winry repeated in a low voice, "How?"

"It looks as though, somehow, they were just taken away." The doctor said.

"That's impossible." Melody said, "How could she have survived for so long without those organs? They're vital to the human body, losing them would mean certain death for anyone!"

"Amazingly, the remaining organs have all adapted." The doctor said, "Intertwining to pick up the anatomical slack. Still I-I don't know how she's survived this long."

"Brother," Al turned to Edward, "Do you think she…?"

"You heard what he said." Ed replied, "Like they were just taken away." Melody looked up at the two.

"Wait, you guys aren't seriously thinking that she tried to do the same thing you did?" She asked them, she didn't get her answer as a nurse came into the room.

"Doctor?"

* * *

The five teens looked at the empty room. Izumi and Sig had left through an open window, escaping the hospital. Ed's eyes narrowed for a moment before turning and walking out of the room. Melody followed after him, "Ed! Wait a minute!"

"I know where she is." Ed told her, "I have to go get her before she does something stupid." Melody ran up to get in front of him.

"Listen, I know this isn't the best time to talk to you about this, but--"

"Whatever it is, it'll have to wait!" Ed interrupted, shoving her aside, "Out of my way!"

"Ed, just wait!" Melody put a hand on his shoulder to try and slow him down. At this point, Winry, Al, and Shane were all watching from the doorway. "This is important!" He shrugged her off his shoulder.

"Get lost!" He yelled, he walked past her, "I have to get to south headquarters."

"Ed, I think I may have figured out how me and Shane got here!" Melody said, hoping to get his attention.

"Well, it's going to have to wait!" Edward said sternly. Melody stopped walking as he continued down the hall.

"Edward, I know about the gateway!" She yelled. Ed stopped walking, he was frozen, "When I said I didn't know how I got here… I lied. The truth is… well, I'm not entirely sure how, but we got here by alchemy. When we walked out of one room, we found another that was covered in transmutation circles of all kinds… Then we were transported to some random part of Amestris in the blink of an eye… I think… I think, somehow… we went through the gateway… and wound up here…" She looked over at him, he continued to stay still.

"How did you find out about the gate?" Edward asked, his voice quiet. Melody looked to the floor.

"I know it was wrong, but when you were talking about it with Izumi, I was listening through the door." She said, she looked back to him, "Ed, you're the only alchemist I know who, I think, could figure this out and get me and Shane back home. I know that you have a lot on your plate right now, with the stone, and the homunculi, and your teacher, but…" Edward turned to her with an unreadable expression on his face, "But, I think you could do it. Please, Ed?" He said nothing at first, then he turned back to the hallway and started walking to south headquarters. Melody's face fell as she watched him walk away, Al and Winry following. Shane put a hand on her shoulder and he led her to follow after them.

* * *

Ed and Al ran over to south headquarters, where Sig was standing outside the entrance. Ed ran up to him, and was about to ask him something, but before he could, the stone of the building suddenly jutted out, as did another, and another, and one part fell into the building because of Izumi's Alchemy. Ed ran in, Al, Shane, and Melody following. Winry ran to follow as well, but stopped when she saw Sig.

"Mr. Sig!" She yelled, "Please tell me Miss Izumi's not inside!" Sig said nothing as he stared at the building. "How come you're just ignoring me? I asked you a question!" She turned away from him, "They're all in harm's way. Miss Izumi, Shane, Melody, Ed and Al…" She clenched her fists, "Why do they do this?"

"I didn't know. I couldn't have." Sig said, Winry looked up at him, "She felt guilty. As though it were her fault." Izumi walked into a hallway filled with soldiers, who were about to approach her, before she transmuted the floor into rubble, making them fall in. "It was me who made the decision to save her life, at the expense of our unborn child's." A soldier put a gun to her head and she transmuted it so it wouldn't fire. A few more soldiers began to charge her, and she knocked them out of her way, one by one. "Still, she apologized to me repeatedly for not being strong enough to give birth."

"A baby… I see…" Winry murmured, she watched as another part of the building jutted out from Izumi's alchemy.

"Afterwards, I didn't realize the depths of the depression she suffered from." Sig continued. "Or how heavily the loss weighed on her heart." Izumi walked down the smoke-filled hall into a room where Archer, Armstrong, and a few scientists were standing over a bed, where the boy had been strapped down to it, wearing no clothing, "I certainly never imagined she would resort to such drastic measures." The boy squirmed happily, seeing Izumi there. Archer turned to her as Armstrong went to approach her.

"What do you mean?" Winry asked.

"The same taken by your friends, Ed and Al." Sig said. Izumi clapped her hands in transmutation and put them against the door, the floor suddenly gave out to everywhere except the bed where the boy was stuck.

"Human transmutation?" Winry asked, "She tried to revive the baby?"

"She went off, all by herself." Sig said, "And wouldn't tell me what happened when she did it." Izumi transmuted the straps on the bed into clothing for the boy. Who, once he was able to move, ran into her arms. Archer and Armstrong looked up and watched her leave with the boy in her arms. "But, when she came back to me, all of her insides were torn out. She said she'd never be able to get pregnant again. And again, she told me she was sorry."

* * *

Outside the headquarters, the lizard-man chimera and the man in the red suit stood in front of one of the undamaged walls on the first floor. "Would you like to get this party off with a bang?" The lizard-man asked, a wild look in his eye. The man 'hmphed' and clapped his hands, which were tattooed with transmutation circles, he put them against the wall and nothing happened.

"It seems I'm gonna need a little more sulfur." The man said, a soldier came running by and he reached out and pushed him against the wall, holding him by the neck, "That'll do!" The soldier yelled as he was transmuted to make huge explosions throughout the wall. The lizard-man sat in the rubble in shock for a moment, before laughing like a mad man through his teeth.

* * *

Archer stopped running as he felt the explosion go through the building, setting off an alarm, "Oh, come on, what now?" He growled in frustration, he turned to the Major, "Major, we have to keep moving, or else that woman could--" He stopped, seeing as Armstrong was saluting in a different direction, "Major!" He looked to see who he was saluting, and saw a man with tanned skin, dark hair and moustache in a military uniform with an eye patch over his left eye come walking towards them. The fuehrer had his usual smile on his face.

"My, my." Fuehrer Bradley said, "Things sure are hopping around this place today." Archer's eyes widened in surprise, what was the fuehrer doing here?

* * *

Izumi looked around a corner, making sure no one was there. She held the boy in her arms as she walked around the corner. "Teacher!" She stopped, hearing Ed's voice, "I have to ask you to put him down and get out of here as fast as you can." Shane stood next to Edward, he had his knife out, watching for anyone from the military. When Izumi didn't respond to Ed's command, he spoke up again, "Listen, like it or not, I'm part of the military now." Izumi turned slightly and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She heard footsteps and looked to see three men in military uniform, Archer, Armstrong, and the fuehrer. Shane stared at the three with a blank expression, Ed looked at them with wide eyes.

"What the hell? What's the fuehrer doing here?" Ed asked aloud. Shane turned sharply to him.

"Fuehrer?" He repeated, he looked back at the man with the eye patch with a surprised expression. Izumi ran past Ed and Shane and down the hall they had come from. The two boys ran after her, but only for a few steps before the wall exploded and the lizard-man chimera, and the red suited alchemist came out from the hole.

"Perfect, you're here too?" Ed growled. Shane looked at Ed in confusion, who the heck were _these_ guys?

"Sorry to intrude." The lizard-man said, a wild smile on his face, "We just came for the kid." Ed heard footsteps and saw Archer and Armstrong running down the hall. Ed scowled.

"Teacher, the military, and these bastards." He growled.

"Damn," Shane said, "Looks like a four-way fight." Bradley walked up calmly behind Armstrong.

"Heh, heh," He laughed under his breath, "Well, I guess I make five."

* * *

"It's a camp in the south, in Kishiwa, full of the disenfranchised." Mustang said, "What of it, sir?" Mustang stood in Fuehrer Bradley's office, where he had been summoned to speak with him.

"We have reason to believe Scar is hiding there." Bradley said, he turned to Mustang, "Take care of it, Colonel."

Mustang saluted him, "Sir!" He left the room and went back to where Hawkeye, Fury, Breda, Havoc, and Falman were waiting in his Central office. "We're moving out," He told them, "To the city of Kishiwa's western slum. That's where Scar's hiding. If he surrenders, great, we'll do everything we can to keep the peace. But if he resists, lets be ready to take him down, and anyone else who gets in the way."

* * *

**HOLY CRAP CHAPTER 22! I can't believe I'm actually getting this far! ^_^**

**I know it's a little late, but I'm having some trouble finding the episodes I'm looking for, plus it's spring-freaking-break! And I'm livin' it up in Florida!**

**By the way, I'm thinking sequal. Any opinions? Review please!**

**-Chibimaker**


	23. Chapter 23

**FINALLY! I made it to chapter 23! I'm sooooooooo sorry it's late! It was just so long, and I had school stuff, not finals or anything like that, at least not for another couple weeks, but I've been lazy, too! ^_^"**

**Sorry for the lateness!**

**-Chibimaker**

* * *

23

Shane and Edward stood behind Izumi in the south military headquarters. Everyone was looking at the lizard-man chimera from before, who was with a man in a red suit. Armstrong was the first to speak, "You… Zalv J. Kimbley. But you should be dead!"

"Zalv Kimbley?" Archer repeated, "The Crimson alchemist?" Ed turned his attention to the man in the red suit.

"He's a state alchemist?" Ed asked. Shane held his knife up.

"You were supposed to be executed years ago." Archer said, "Charged with disobeying the military's direct orders in Ishbal."

"Well, that's one way of putting it." Kimbley said, "Another would be that I made women and children go _boom!_" He waved his hand nonchalantly, "And then, when my superior officers tried to stop me…"

"…_Boom!_" The chimera finished.

"I was really looking forward to an execution. But then for some strange reason," Kimbley said, "The powers that be decided to keep me alive."

"But why?" Armstrong asked, almost growling.

"I'm not sure." Kimbley answered, "Perhaps that gentleman there behind you has the answer." Armstrong looked back at the fuehrer.

_How should I know?_ "Are you just going to stand there, allowing this chaos to go on?" Bradley demanded.

"You heard him!" Archer said, "Arrest them, arrest every one of them!" Armstrong stood at attention.

"Sir!" Ed turned to Izumi.

"Teacher, we've go-ugh!" Edward doubled over from Izumi's kick to his stomach.

"There's no point in trying to stop me!" Izumi yelled, turning and running away with the boy in her arms. She turned the corner of the hall and saw Al and Melody standing in her way.

"Please, teacher, wait a minute." Al said. Ed turned the corner after Izumi and stopped.

"Nice work, Al!" He said, just then a blue blur rushed by him. The fuehrer grabbed the child from Izumi's hands.

"Amazing." The chimera commented, seeing his speed. The fuehrer lifted up the boy's foot to see the orouboros tattoo.

"Definitely homunculus." He said, he looked back at Izumi with dark eyes, "And that means he's coming with me." He started to run away.

"Think again!" Izumi clapped her hands and put them against the floor and a huge stone fist appeared, heading straight for the fuehrer.

"The girl's amazing, too!" The chimera commented again, seeing Izumi's alchemic powers. The fuehrer ran past Armstrong, who punched against the giant stone fist, stopping it, making his shirt come off in the process.

"An impressive transmutation, however," He said, "Those who would try to harm the fuehrer…!" He pushed against it more and the fist crumbled into pieces. Melody stood wide eyed, she had never seen Armstrong's alchemy before, her shock only lasted a moment before Armstrong started making poses with his next sentence, "Shall be defeated in the most beautiful and graceful way!" He hit different blocks and turned them into spike-like projectiles, aiming them at Izumi.

Izumi clapped her hands and placed one against the wall. Metal rods shot out from the walls, piercing each small spike perfectly. "You should give me more credit." She told Armstrong, "I'm used to dealing with muscles like yours, only more beautiful and graceful." _How are muscles beautiful and graceful?_ Melody thought to herself, she just couldn't picture a muscled man as beautiful or graceful. Armstrong growled lowly as Izumi produced another transmutation, making a giant fist to crush him. Armstrong deflected it by transmuting spikes from the floor. An epic, alchemic battle ensued between the two, causing the building to shake and crack and crumble.

"Ed, if we don't stop them now, the whole building could collapse!" Shane said.

"This whole damn city could collapse!" Ed said, running toward Izumi, but he was stopped as the tail from the lizard-man wrapped around his foot and tossed him into the room he and Kimbley had just come from.

"Edward!" Melody shouted, running after him, switchblade out and ready. Al and Shane followed after her.

"Brother!" Al said, he heard someone clap their hands and he looked to see Kimbley had placed one of his hands against Al's armor.

"My, my." Kimbley mused, "Don't you have an interesting body?" He smirked darkly at him and Al moved away just as the transmutation activated, creating an explosion behind his steps. The teens stared at the spot in awe. Kimbley just huffed and stared at his hand, flexing it.

"An explosion made out of thin air…" Melody breathed, "I didn't know _anything_ could do that." Melody saw his hand, which had a transmutation circle tattooed on it.

"I heard of something like this once." Edward said, his foot still caught, "It's a skill that transmutes materials in a body into a gun powder-like substance. Then, it's compressed rapidly to cause a huge explosion." Ed glared at the two men.

"Why are you bothering us?" Ed asked, "What do you want here?"

"We've come here for the child." The chimera answered, "Our boss has an interest in him."

"He'd also like to have a word with the four of you." Kimbley said, "It seems there's some business to discuss." The chimera laughed maniacally at his words, or possibly in excitement, it was hard to tell.

"Is that so?" Melody asked, holding her switchblade up, she threw it at the chimera's tail, piercing it so he would let go of Edward. He screamed in agony as he pulled his tail away, when he did, Alphonse grabbed it and spun him around before throwing him at the wall, where he hit his head against the concrete and landed with his tail up. Kimbley clapped his hands in transmutation and grabbed the tail.

The lizard man jumped at the contact and climbed up the wall. "Wait a second!" He wailed, "You're not trying to turn me into a bomb, are you!"

"Well, yeah, sure." Kimbley answered, a dark smirk on his face.

The chimera rapidly shook his head. "Bad idea!" They heard the sound of someone clapping their hands in transmutation and looked to see Edward had transmuted his arm into a blade and charged at them.

* * *

The boy stared up at the man who took him in fear. The fuehrer had taken him to a closet lit by a single red light that shone in emergencies. They could both hear the commotion going on outside the room, be it Edward going up against Kimbley and the chimera, or Izumi going up against Armstrong. The fuehrer gave an unusual smirk before his form changed completely, turning himself into Envy. The boy was stunned and he stayed stunned as Envy walked over to him and knelt down in front of him.

"Did the full-metal one say your arm and leg belong to him?" Envy asked calmly. The boy flinched and jumped back against the wall.

"Y-Yes…" The boy said, confused as to how he knew that.

"Well maybe that explains how you were able to come through the gate and survive all this time on your own." Envy said, thinking out loud.

"Gate…?" The boy repeated, and then his eyes widened, "Gate! I-!" Envy put his finger to the boy's lips, quieting him.

"Easy." He said, "You don't have to be alone any longer, little one. Now," Envy held out his hand which contained a good handful of red stones, "Eat up." The boy turned away at the sight of them, how could he eat a stone? He wasn't sure he wanted to, with this guy offering him. Envy took one of the stones out of his hand and began to feed it to him. The boy resisted, of course, "Come on." He placed the stone into his mouth and the boy began to chew it, slowly, then swallow it. He looked at the rest of the stones in Envy's hand, then back at Envy before grabbing two small handfuls of them and eating them ravenously. Envy smirked.

"Yes, savor the taste as it covers your tongue." He said smoothly, "And be gracious, hundreds of human lives went into their making." The boy stopped eating and looked up at Envy with scared eyes.

"Human lives?" He repeated, he spat out the last bits of stone that were in his mouth.

"What's wrong?" Envy asked, his smirk not disappearing, "I thought you liked them." The boy quickly shook his head, "Ah, oh well. I guess you won't be needing the rest of these, or my help." Envy said, standing and closing his fist, "Run along now, get caught and give back that arm and leg." He turned and walked away, he felt the boy's eyes boring into him as he headed for the door. The boy used his unique brand of alchemy to sink his leg into the floor and turn it into a spike that knocked the stones out of Envy's hands. He knelt down, grabbed each of them, and stuffed them into his mouth with tears in his eyes knowing what he was doing, but couldn't help it.

"Look at that, you can even perform alchemy." Envy said, watching him eat. "It truly is awe-inspiring what a couple of human limbs can do." He chuckled to himself, "Listen, I was raised on these stones of mine, I fancy the taste myself. The reason is because I'm not human. I'm a homunculus." The boy slowly kept chewing on the last bits of the stones in his mouth, "And since you're enjoying them as well, that means you're not human either." The boy's eyes widened and he fell to the floor, curling up. His eyes slowly leaking out tears as memories came flooding back to him. Memories of who he was supposed to be, and how he got to the Gate in the first place. When he finally remembered everything, his eyes changed from blue to purple, his pupil becoming a reptile-like slit.

* * *

Kimbley destroyed the wall on the outside of the Southern headquarters, the chimera he had come with was the first one running out, "We need Greed's help to handle this." The chimera said, "We can't do it ourselves! _Gree-hee-hee-hee-heeeed!_" He ran away from the building, fearing the alchemist inside and his friends. Kimbley walked out after him, then stopped. He turned around and faced the building with a scowl on his face.

"The hell with it." He muttered, "It'd be easier if I just blew up this entire building." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar shade of blue. He looked up to see a pale man with ice-blue eyes aiming a gun at him.

"Hello, I'm Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer." Archer said, "It's nice to meet the famous Crimson Alchemist."

"Yeah, you too." Kimbley said, not fearing him at all.

"Well, as Armstrong pointed out, you should be dead." Archer said, "By whose authority were you kept alive? Was it the fuehrer? Or did Bas Graun make that decision on his own?"

"Beats me." Kimbley answered.

"Do you have any intention of returning to your service in the military?" Archer asked. Kimbley smirked as if he had just told a joke, "I can make it happen, if you want it to." Kimbley stopped smirking and looked at Archer with a serious face.

* * *

"Teacher!" Ed called out as he, Al, Melody, and Shane ran down the hall.

"Teacher, where are you?" Al called.

"Izumi!" Melody called out. The group ran to the end of the hall, which led to two others.

"That stupid chimera scratched my face pretty deep." Edward muttered, holding the cut on his cheek. Al looked over and saw Major Armstrong sitting down among the rubble of the building.

"Major Armstrong." He said, Armstrong looked over at them, just noticing them coming in, then he instantly held his right side.

"Oh, the agony! The pain!" He moaned theatrically, "That woman is most definitely your teacher. Even with my elegant attack, I was defeated." Melody and Edward smiled, noticing a small flaw with his injury.

"Thanks for your help, Major." Ed said, "I kinda had a feeling things were gonna turn out like this." Armstrong looked up at them.

"You're holding the wrong place." Melody said, pointing to the red wound on his left side. Armstrong grunted in exasperation, noticing his mistake.

* * *

Izumi walked along the halls, keeping one hand on them to steady herself, she stopped at one spot and looked around, hearing a noise. The door of the room that was near her burst open, and the boy came running out and into her arms. Hesitantly, Izumi embraced him, smiling softly.

"I've got you, my little one." She murmured in a soft voice, her eyes widened when she noticed his clothes had changed; now he was in a pair of black shorts with a shirt that showed his stomach, he wore one glove that was fingerless, and patterns of lines ending in circles on his legs and back were in red. She looked at them sadly, "Already not the same…" She whispered.

She walked past the room the boy had come from, the boy still in her arms, and saw the body of the fuehrer, with a huge hole in his chest, covered in blood. Izumi ran off in the other direction, once she was gone, the fuehrer opened his eyes and smirked.

"Go on, boy. And start doing what you were meant to do." He said, his voice changing to Envy's. He stood and transformed himself into a plain looking man in a military uniform and walked out of the room.

* * *

Al opened another door, and found no one inside. He turned to Ed, "Brother, it looks like teacher is gone."

"Dammit. She's gotta be too weak now to escape from here with that kid." Edward said, "What's she trying to do?"

"You two, go in from the right!" A voice commanded. Everyone's head turned in the direction it came from. "The rest of you, follow me!"

"We're not supposed to be here." Alphonse said, "We'd better go."

"I can hear Mustang's smug remarks already." Ed muttered, running after Al. Melody and Shane following them. "Hey, Melody." She looked over at him as they kept running. "Were you serious about earlier? About coming through the Gate?" Melody nodded.

"I can't think of anything else that would explain why we're here." She said, Edward nodded before turning back to the front. _If that's true…_ Edward thought, _then how did you guys go around equivalent exchange…?_

* * *

"You gotta know where she is!" Edward said, "Just tell us!" He, Al, Shane, and Melody stood in the butchery with Sig and Mason. Sig was in the process of slicing up a gigantic piece of meat.

"Is teacher okay?" Alphonse asked, "Please! We're really worried about her!"

"She was hurt pretty badly when we last saw her." Melody said, "And with her condition, it'll just get worse over time!"

"Yeah! And that kid she's with is a homunculus," Edward said, "There's no tellin' what he could do to her!" Sig said nothing as he continued to cut up the piece of meat. Edward glared at him. Melody looked over as she saw a door being opened, revealing a sullen-looking Winry.

"The place where the human transmutation happened." She said, answering Edward's questions to Sig. Everyone looked over at her, except for Sig. "The same place that Izumi lost her child, and then transmuted its body in a desperate attempt to bring it back to life." Her voice was low and quiet, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"How did you find out!" Mason exclaimed before slapping his hands over his mouth.

"I knew it…" Edward muttered under his breath.

"I've got this feeling that she went there." Winry said, "She's been gone a while."

"If I know Izumi at all…" Shane said, putting a hand to his chin in thought, "She'd pick some isolated place, away from any cities so people wouldn't get hurt." Edward and Alphonse nodded in agreement.

"Yach Island…" Winry said, naming the island the Elrics had been to only a day or so before. "That's it, isn't it?" She asked, looking up at Sig. Who had stopped chopping the meat and stood in silence. That was all the answer they needed. Edward turned to Winry.

"Winry, Al and I will go to the island to find teacher." He told her, "Stay here and stay safe."

"I'm coming with you, Ed." Melody said, stepping forward.

"If she's going, so am I." Shane said. Melody turned to him.

"Actually, Shane…" He looked over at her, "I want you to stay here."

"What!" Shane exclaimed, flabbergasted. Melody stood on her toes so she could whisper in his ear.

"I want you to stay behind to make sure Winry doesn't go anywhere." She said, "You know how she is about these boys." Shane nodded. Melody stepped back. "Please?"

"Alright, fine." Shane said, "But you come back in one piece, got it?" Melody nodded and turned to the Elrics.

"Let's get moving." She told them. They nodded and started to leave.

"Wait." A voice called them. The three of them stopped and looked back to Sig. "You'll need a boat."

* * *

Ed stepped off into the shallow water as the boat reached the island's shore. "Teacher!" He called out. Melody jumped onto the sand after him. Ed looked into the forest and took off, his brother and friend following. All three of them were completely unaware of the purple-eyed shape shifter that was watching them.

As they entered the forest, Edward moved around some of the foliage to get a better look at things. "Teacher!"

"Teacher!" Al called out, a few feet away.

"Izumi!" Melody called, a little bit away from Al and Edward. Edward went a little further into the forest, and in the corner of his eye, he caught something. He turned to see that it was the child, standing over Izumi, strangling her.

"Teacher!" Edward ran closer, picked up a stone and threw it at the boy, "Get off her!" The boy jumped back to avoid being hit, and Izumi fell to the ground, holding her throat. Al and Melody ran over to Ed's side.

"Ah…! Teacher!" Al exclaimed, seeing her lying down. After a moment, she started coughing. Ed glared fiercely at the boy. He clapped his hands in transmutation and changed his automail arm into a blade.

"You bastard!" He growled, running at him.

"_Don't touch him!_" Izumi bellowed. Edward skidded to a stop and stared at his teacher, as she carefully sat up, "Leave him alone…"

"But…" Al murmured, trying to figure out what was happening.

"But we saw him! He was trying to kill you!" Melody exclaimed.

"I brought him out here because I planned on killing _him_." Izumi said. "But, I… I am the one who deserves to die…"

"What do you mean?" Edward asked, "Why?"

"Because, Ed. I created this child." Izumi said, not looking at him. Edward stared at his teacher with wide, gaping eyes and a partially opened mouth. "I used the remains of my baby, and some other elements. And attempted to perform a human transmutation. But what came back…" She looked up at him, "Well, you know what it was, don't you?" Ed's eyes widened even more, remembering what came back from his own transmutation.

"Something not… not human…?" He said. Izumi nodded once.

"When I awoke, I was once again in front of that gate." She said, "…Edward, what did you see when you looked into it?"

"Everything." Ed answered, "Everything there is to know about alchemy, life. Everything. I felt like all the knowledge of the world was pouring into me… The truth was in there…"

"The truth?" Izumi echoed, "Hmph. It looked like hell to me… And I gave him to it. That's where I left the child…" The three teens stared at her, wide eyed.

"But then… if that's what happened…" Melody said, "There's no way that the child you had and this child are the same person." Izumi stood up shakily.

"When I looked at him, I knew there wasn't any doubt." Izumi said, "If a child from that time had grown up, then this is the age he would be." Melody looked over at the boy, whose face was hidden by his black hair. "This homunculus appeared on Yach Island, the same place he was born. It's the only explanation; they're one and the same."

"But that still doesn't make any sense!" Edward said, stepping forward. "A homunculus is… created from alchemy alone!"

"Created…" Al repeated, remembering how Envy had said in Laboratory Five that they weren't _created_, but _born_.

"Is that what you think?" Izumi asked in a hard voice, "Do you know exactly how a homunculus is created, Edward?"

"Not exactly, but…" Edward said, "But they're probably created just like chimeras, in some place like that Laboratory Five!"

"No-"

"You're wrong." Izumi was cut off by the boy. Everyone's attention turned to him as he spoke. "Either because of love, or foolish curiosity, human transmutations are attempted. And when these attempts all backfire, a different life is created. A being that has its own body and mind, but no soul." He looked up at the group with blazing purple eyes, "That is how the damned are born! That is a homunculus!" Izumi looked toward the ground, with an ashamed look on her face.

"No…" Al whispered, staring at the child. Melody had put both hands over her mouth in shock.

"And how do you know about all this?" Edward demanded, "Who told you?"

"Envy helped me remember where I'm from!" The boy said, "And what I am."

"Envy?" Ed repeated, "You've seen that monster?"

"I have." The boy replied, "Envy was born the exact same way. So are the other homunculi, all thanks to idiots like you who decided to play God! And now all we really want is to become human ourselves." The boy's glare intensified on Edward.

* * *

The homunculus known as Greed waited as the lizard-man chimera jumped out of the boat. He, Kimbley, and the lizard-man had come to Yach Island along with a man with brown hair and a sword at his waist, a tall, large man with white hair, and a woman with short blonde hair and a purple tattoo that snaked its way from her shoulder to the right side of her face.

"Let's get going." Greed told them.

"Well, hello Ultimate Shield." A voice said, making everyone jump. Greed smirked to himself, realizing who it was.

"Hello yourself, Ultimate- Oh, wait. You liked to be called abomination, don't you?" Greed said, turning around and looking up a cliff to see Envy standing at the top.

"You were sealed in a prison for more than a century, and you still haven't learned your lesson, Greed?" Envy sneered.

"Yes, forgive me if my name-calling's gotten a little stale." Greed said, "It's been hard to keep my jokes current in a _cell_."

"What'd you do with the skull?" Envy asked. Greed's face twisted to one of contempt and anxiety, before faking a smile and answering him.

"Why, I smashed it into little pieces, of course!" He said.

"Ah, I see. So you've taken and hidden it somewhere." Envy replied, "Don't worry, I'll find it and put you right back where you were."

"Heh! Like I'd let you!" Greed growled as he jumped up the cliff to the other homunculus. He attempted to strike him multiple times, his hands changing to an inky color and making his hands claws. He never touched Envy because he was agile enough to avoid every strike. He smirked at him as Greed's hands slowly returned to their original skin tone. "From the news I've been getting lately, we've got a brand new member around here."

"He has nothing to do with you, Greed." Envy told him.

"He doesn't?" Greed asked, "But I still want to live and be free, and to make that happen, I need a few more allies."

"That's too bad." Envy said. Greed smirked darkly at Envy before he heard a strange noise that sounded something like a whistle. He turned to see a huge vortex of water swirling high up in the air. When it stopped, the people Greed had come with fell out of the sky. The lizard-man landed on the ground first, before getting squashed by the large, white-haired man and yelling out in pain.

A woman with long brown hair in business attire that was a light shade of purple stood before them. "Hello, Sloth." Envy greeted.

"This is Sloth?" Greed asked, "You mean someone with that name was born?" he looked back at the woman with wary eyes.

"There's a new Lust, too." Envy said, "Which means that the seven of us have assembled for the first time in a _long_ time."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Greed." Sloth greeted, looking at Greed with her big, green eyes. "I'm so honored to make your acquaintance." Greed glared at her intensely before smirking casually and putting his hands up in a defensive-like position.

"I may be greedy, but I'm still not a fool." He said to the two. "I have no intention of fighting two homunculi at the same time." He turned and jumped off the cliff to leave the island by the boat he and his allies had come on.

"Oh, well." Sloth sighed, watching him go. Envy chuckled at Greed's cowardice. "We'll have to deal with them at another time." She said, watching them row away from the island. She turned to Envy, "Where's Wrath?"

"Oh, I imagine he should be with the Fullmetal boy now." Envy replied before laughing to himself.

"You mean you propelled him into a confrontation with Elric?" Sloth asked, her eyes narrowing at him, "The plan was to use Wrath as bait to put them back on the trail of the philosopher's stone."

"That'll have to wait." Envy said, "So sorry. I had to see the son of that _bastard_ trembling on his _knees_ in fear." He growled out before chuckling maliciously.

* * *

The boy held up his right hand that was a different tone from the rest of his body. He raised it up so it seemed to be a part of the new morning sky. "I remember, I can picture it all." He said, "The only thing I could do was sit and wait in the absolute darkness inside the gate. I just kept waiting and waiting. All the while my body was slowly growing." Edward kept his shocked eyes on the boy as he spoke, "One day, and idiot dropped by. He had already given his leg, and now he stuck his arm across the threshold. He was screaming and crying 'give me back my little brother!' I took his limbs for myself." Melody listened intently, realizing those must've been Ed's limbs, he lost his leg going through the Gate the first time and, he lost his arm getting Al's soul back.

"After a long time," He continued, "I was able to open the Gate with my newfound power." He flexed his open hand into a fist, "And I finally came out of the darkness!"

"This can't be…" Ed murmured to himself.

"Thank you for the arm and leg." The boy said to Edward, whose eyes widened when he spoke to him, "Thank you for this incomplete life. Nothing can match my gratitude. Not even my _hate_…" He extended his right hand to Edward, slowly closing it into a fist and bringing it to himself as he spoke, "Now, give me your entire _body_! Once I have that, I'll be a real human!" He jumped into the air and attempted to knock Edward down and kill him. Melody and Al rushed to his rescue; Melody tackled Ed out of the way while Alphonse deflected the attack with his arm, sending the boy back.

"Ow, that hurt!" He mock-whined, he stood up straight and looked at Al with wild eyes, "Your metal body's not the one I'm after!"

"Brother," Al said, "If you're not going to do this, then _I_ will." Edward said nothing as he looked up at his younger brother.

"But-but Al! That kid is-!" Melody protested.

"I have to!" Al interrupted, "His arm and leg are my brother's, the things he lost because of me. It's all my fault!"

"No, Al…" Edward muttered.

"All this time we've been trying to get our normal bodies back." Al said before he began to charge at the boy, "_Nothing's going to stop me now!_"


	24. Chapter 24

24

Edward gawked at his brother as he began to run towards the boy. "No!" Izumi yelled.

"AL!" Melody yelled. Alphonse ran at the boy, who was more than willing to take him on. Before Alphonse reached him, Izumi tackled the boy away from him. Alphonse turned to her, and saw that she held the boy close to her. In the next moment, the blue lightening of alchemy surrounded her, breaking down some of the fabrics of her dress.

"Teacher!" Ed yelled. Izumi screamed as the boy used his alchemy to blend parts of her shirt into a tentacle-like arm, flinging her away. When he got rid of Izumi, he aimed his arm at Alphonse, wrapping the white tentacles around the armor.

"Al!" Ed screamed. The tentacles wormed their way in past the armor, and started moving into his arm.

"What's happening?" Melody asked, seeing the chaos.

"Al!" Edward ran up to his brother, only to have Al grab his right arm and hold him up by the wrist.

"Help me…!" Al squeaked, knowing that he wasn't in control of his arm. The boy had used his new tentacles to squeeze into Al's armor, taking over his fingers and arm.

"That right arm of yours is such a nuisance." The boy said, Al squeezed Ed's automail so hard it clanked, messing up some of its parts. "Your brother is gonna help me crush it into pieces! And I'll take everything you have left." Ed's face was full of fear.

"No, you won't!" Al said as he used his other arm to tear up the fabric tentacles, disconnecting them from his body. The boy screamed and fell back. Al dropped Ed and began to charge at the boy.

"No, Al!" Ed called, but Al didn't stop.

"Don't!" Melody yelled, Al raised his fist to punch the boy. Melody covered her eyes so she wouldn't see it. A moment of silence followed the blow.

"Brother, you said a homunculus couldn't do alchemy." Alphonse said, his armor shaking slightly, his fist against a spike the boy had made out of his hand.

"But this one's different somehow. And I think I know what that is. He can transmute his body into different materials by forming a circle with his left leg and right arm. Because he's a homunculus, he can shape shift his body, but the real reason he can perform alchemy is…"

"Because he has both Edward's lost arm and leg." Izumi finished.

"Possible…" Edward muttered.

"This power isn't yours!" Al said to the boy. "It was stolen from my brother! His arm and leg, give them back!" Al used his other hand to break the stone spike, "Now!" He raised his fist again to punch him, but the boy transmuted the ground into his hand to make an even larger spike to push Al back.

"No!" Edward clapped his hands and put them against the ground to transmute a spear, and the boy did the same thing. "My turn now!" Edward charged at the boy and the two fought each other with the spears.

"Brother!" Al got up to help his brother, Melody turned to him.

"Al, you have to stop this now!" She said to him.

"What do you mean?" Al asked, his voice hard, "Are you defending this homunculus? He isn't human." Melody stopped and looked over at Edward and the boy. Both were skillful with the spear, which meant there was some blood being shed. The boy had cut Edward's face, and Edward had wounded the boy's shoulder. She turned back to Alphonse.

"Human or not, he's Izumi's son! She should decide what happens to him!" She said. Alphonse turned away, sighing. In the fight, Edward had gotten the spear out of the boy's hand. Edward had already transmuted his automail into a blade and he tackled the boy to the ground, and stuck the blade next to his face.

"So what exactly do you want, Edward?" The boy asked.

"I want what's mine!" Ed growled.

"This leg was a price you paid, you got something for it, didn't you?" The boy asked. Edward's eyes widened at his memories of what he got for his leg, a twisted, warped creature that was supposed to be his mother, "And in exchange for this arm here, you got your brother's soul." The boy said, glancing at his right arm. "Tell me, what price are you willing to pay now to get your limbs back and deprive me of mine?" Edward's hand shook in fury as he glared at the boy's smug smile, "Equivalence." The boy chided. That was the point that Ed snapped.

"_Shut up!_" He raised the blade high, ready to kill him.

"Ed, no!" Melody yelled, she heard a clapping sound and looked to see Izumi was the one that clapped her hands in preparation of a transmutation and then she put them to the ground. A huge crevice began to form, causing the large hills of the island to be lowered because of its massive size. It separated the boy from Edward, who dangled off the side. Both Melody and the boy stared at the crevice in fear, and Alphonse helped Edward up and out of the crevice. Alphonse looked over at Izumi, whose hands were at the starting point of the crevice.

"Teacher?" Al asked, Izumi was panting slightly from expending so much energy into her transmutation.

"You two boys are not to get involved in this, I command you!" Izumi growled, her voice hoarse, "The boy is _my_ sin, and mine alone to bear." She stopped and began coughing up blood. Edward got to his feet in worry. The boy, noticing the commotion, decided that this was a good time to run. When he ran off, Alphonse got to his feet and jumped over the crevice to go after him.

"Not so fast!" He said.

"Melody, make sure Izumi's okay!" Edward told Melody before taking off after Al.

"Wait a second, she told you guys not to get involved!" Melody called after them, but they didn't bother to listen. Melody looked over at the Elric's teacher, who was still coughing up blood. She sighed and went down next to her to see if she was alright.

* * *

Ed and Al ran after the boy down to the island's beach. They stopped once they reached the beach, seeing no sign of where the boy had gone. Something caught Ed's eye and he looked to see two people. A woman in a purple suit with green eyes and long brown hair standing next to an aged man with black hair and an eye patch wearing the military uniform of Amestris, who was looking out at the island's forest.

"Funny running into you here." The fuehrer greeted, "You trained on this island as a child, isn't that right, Fullmetal?"

"Brother…" Al whispered, "That woman…" Ed glanced at him, knowing he was talking about the fuehrer's secretary.

"That's right, and what are the two of you doing here?" Ed asked.

"It seems we're searching for the same thing." Bradley answered.

"The homunculus?" Al asked.

"Yes, I've heard that's what the enemy is calling itself." Bradley said, "Tell me," He turned to the two brothers, "How much do you boys really know about the subject? Do either of you know the reason they say a homunculus is born?" The two didn't respond, "According to ancient alchemic text and tradition, if a homunculus actually exists at all, it's spawned by an alchemist. The unwitting side-effect when someone attempts a human transmutation." Ed's eyes narrowed as the Fuehrer spoke, finding it oddly suspicious that he would know about all this. "Your father wrote about this in his research as well."

"I don't care about him." Edward said, his voice filled with venom. "My reasons are no one's business." The fuehrer and his secretary exchanged glances before looking back to the brothers.

"Very well." Bradley said, "But if the boy that Lieutenant Colonel Archer found was really a homunculus, that means someone attempted a human transmutation." His voice became stern and cold. "And that is definitely my business, Fullmetal." Ed kept his glare steady on him, not willing to tell him who performed the transmutation to get that boy into the world.

"Human transmutation is forbidden." The secretary said monotonously, "All culprits will be punished severely. Do either of you know who might've done this?"

"Shouldn't we be worrying about the homunculus?" Al asked, trying to change the subject.

"Our men are already on his trail." The secretary said.

"Sorry, we don't know anything." Edward said, "Now if you don't mind, we're in a hurry." He turned to walk back into the forest, and after bowing respectively to the fuehrer, Al followed after him.

"Brother…?" Al asked quietly.

"We can't let them find out about Izumi, okay?" Ed said.

"I know." Al said. After the brothers had walked out of hearing range, Bradley turned to his secretary.

"I think we managed to fool them." He said.

"It wasn't that hard." She replied, unbuttoning her shirt to reveal the boy inside her body, seemingly asleep in a blue liquid that her body was made out of. "Dear Wrath. That makes all seven of us." Envy returned to his normal state and smirked.

"Now it's time I think we pay the old woman a visit." He said, "Lucky for us, it's close. I think we need to talk to her about Greed."

"Why Greed?" Sloth asked.

"Because a long time ago, she's the one who created him." Envy answered, looking at the gigantic crevice in the mountains he and Sloth had seen before.

* * *

"It's a shame, when a teacher's as misguided as her students." Izumi murmured. Edward and Alphonse stood in her room while she was getting some much needed bed rest. "Ed, Al… Despite my sins, I have to draw the line. You can no longer study under me." The boys faltered at her words. "I didn't teach you alchemy so you could echo my mistakes. Destroy your own bodies, disrupt the world's flow. I won't stand for your fighting, either."

"But Teacher-" Al tried to protest, he stopped when his brother held out his arm.

"…We appreciate all you've taught us." Edward said solemnly, his fist shaking. "Please… Take care of yourself." Izumi said nothing as the two brothers walked out of her room.

* * *

"Are you _serious?_" Melody screeched at the two as they packed their things. "After all that shit we just went through, you're just gonna leave? Just like that?"

"Melody, we don't want to, but we can't stay here." Al said sadly.

"Then find a hotel to stay in! Don't just leave after all this!" She yelled, "It's stupid, and it's just… It's just plain crazy!" She ran her fingers through her hair before glaring at the boys. "This is deciphering Marcoh's notes all over again! You hit one road block, and your world suddenly comes crashing down!"

"Mel…" Shane said softly.

"Don't you _'Mel'_ me!" She yelled, turning to him, "After all that's happened, I'm not letting these guys just give up and go home with their tail between their legs!" She looked back to Edward, who had just finished packing his things. "Ed, why aren't you saying anything? You should be telling me I'm an idiot, you should be making some argument against me! Push some facts in my face and prove me wrong!"

"You want facts?" Edward asked, turning to her, his gaze dark and angry. "Izumi said she won't teach us anymore! We aren't her students and we aren't welcome here! _That good enough for ya?_" Melody stopped. Her eyes wide and looking back at his intense glare. She had no idea _that_ happened. Edward turned back and grabbed his suitcase before walking out the door, Al, and Winry following. She looked down to the floor, guiltily rubbing the back of her neck. Shane put a hand on her shoulder and they walked out of the room. Sig was waiting to escort them to the train station. They walked in silence.

"Come on, guys, this can't be the end!" Winry said, "Are you sure you want to leave on bad terms like this?" The brothers said nothing as they continued on.

* * *

The five of them stood outside of the train station, saying goodbye to Sig. "Take care, Sig." Edward said.

"Goodbye, you two." Sig replied, "Make sure to stop by next time you're here."

"But…" Al muttered.

"I don't think we're exactly welcome." Edward said.

"_Idiots!_" Sig said, the two boys flinched at his voice. "Now that you boys are no longer Izumi's students, you're free to start a real relationship with her, as equals."

"That's right!" Winry said happily, the group looked over at her, "You don't have to feel constrained anymore, she can be your friend now!" Shane smacked his fist into his hand.

"I get it!" He said, "She didn't make you guys drop out of her teachings, she made you graduate from them!" Ed gaped at them for a second before scratching his head with an irritated face.

"Aw, damn it." He sighed, he looked up to his younger brother, "Al, we can't leave yet!" He ran around Sig and started heading off somewhere.

"Okay!" Al followed after him. They didn't say where they were going, but everyone had a pretty good idea where.

"Just watch your head!" Sig called after them, knowing his wife wouldn't be too happy about this.

* * *

"Teacher, we need a lead!" Edward said, putting his automail fist into the floor. "I know you can help us return our bodies to the way they were! We won't take no for an answer!"

"Leave!" Izumi ordered, throwing a knife next to his head.

"We're not leaving!" Edward said, although his face showed that he wasn't exactly comfortable staying. Izumi threw a few more knives at him, and he didn't budge.

"Not without knowing how to get a philosopher's stone without human sacrifice!" Al said, in a similar sitting position as Edward. "It's our only chance!"

"_Leave!_" Izumi ordered again.

"We won't leave!" The brothers replied.

"Then I'll cut you up!" Izumi threatened.

"Do what you will!" Ed challenged.

"We won't go!" Al said. Outside Izumi's bedroom window, Sig, Winry, Shane, Melody, and Mason were all listening to what was going on inside. "There must be a way to send that homunculus back to the other side!"

"That's none of your concern, boys." Izumi said, "I told you the child is my responsibility."

"We're willing to bear your sins with you!" Edward told her, "So you can help us bear ours!" Izumi said nothing and gazed long and hard at Edward's determined face, and she couldn't help but be reminded of when she first saw it, back when they were asking to be her apprentices. She closed her eyes and sighed in exasperation.

"Persistent brats…" She muttered. Edward and Alphonse breathed happy sighs of relief, hearing that their teacher was willing to help. Everyone else outside gave the same sighs as they continued to listen to their conversation.

* * *

In a fog-filled forest, seven people were traveling down a dirt path. One was the lizard chimera that the Elric brothers had seen before, another was a large man white hair with a blue outfit similar to a military uniform. He was carrying three other men in a small cart. Next to him was a woman with blonde hair and a purple tattoo that snaked its way from her shoulder to her face. Behind them was the homunculus known as Greed, who was walking with his hands stuffed into his back pockets. He stopped walking and looked to one of the trees.

"I got a bad feeling about this place…" He said, voicing his thoughts for the others. They all stopped to look at him.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" The white haired man asked.

"You guys…" Greed turned to them, "Go back to the Devil's Nest and wait for me."

"You're not going out there alone are you?" The lizard-man asked.

"I'm just curious about something." Greed said. He suddenly jumped up about ten feet to reach the large branches of a nearby tree. He jumped from branch to branch from tree to tree until he was out of sight from the others.

* * *

"Very well. Al, you say you have no memory of the other side of the gate, correct?" Izumi asked, summing up what she knew to try and help them.

"That's right." Al replied.

"Then maybe your body's still there, along with your memories." Izumi said, "But it sure won't be easy to retrieve them now."

"Of course it won't, but we're up to the task!" Edward said, "With the philosopher's stone, we may be able to open the gate again, but this time, ignore the principle of equivalent exchange!"

"Equivalency…" Izumi echoed, "Hmph. Tell me, do you really believe in that principle, Ed?" Edward's eyes widened at his teacher in confusion.

"Of course he does!" Al answered, "'To obtain, something of equal value must be lost.' It's not just the law of alchemy, it's the way everything in life works!"

"You do a great job reciting it." Izumi said, Al faltered a little, "But my son lost his life before he was born, and what did he get in return? Absolutely nothing, there was no equivalency." The brothers took in her words, understanding them perfectly from losing their mother. They both looked to the floor with saddened faces. "Apparently, I'm not much of a teacher after all." Izumi looked toward her bedroom window, "Mason!"

Mason scrambled up on reflex, "Yes!" He blanched, realizing that he had just shown that he was eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Show them the way to Dante's house." Izumi told him, already knowing that he had been listening and not caring, but Mason was still nervous, nonetheless. "They're making a trip there tomorrow to pick up my medicine." The two boys looked at her in surprise. Izumi smiled at them, "Enjoy the trip, boys. It should be… educational." The Elrics nodded, accepting her request, "Oh, and take Melody and Shane with you. It might help clear up some confusion on how they got here."

* * *

"Ugh…" Melody groaned, "How much farther to this guy's house?"

"Izumi said Dante's house was at the top, so it shouldn't be much longer." Edward told her, he turned around to face her, "And she's a woman!"

"Hey, where I come from, Dante is a boy's name." Melody defended, pointing her thumb at her chest, "It just takes some adjusting after finding out there's a chick with that name, so back off!" She said, angrily pointing her index finger at Edward. Who only rolled his eyes at the gesture. She stuck out her tongue behind his back once he had turned around. Melody and Shane were walking behind Edward and Alphonse up the path to Dante's home.

"I wonder what Dante's gonna be like." Al thought aloud.

"According to Mason, she's a world-renowned pharmacist." Edward said.

"That so?" Shane wondered, "I've never heard of 'er."

"Well, we've only been in Amestris for about a month or so." Melody said, "So, it's not like we're familiar with celebrities from around here. Especially not ones that deal with medicine."

"True enough." Shane said in compliance. The group walked a little further in silence before someone spoke again.

"Brother?" Al said, "There's something I've been meaning to ask you. If it's true that a homunculus is created from failed human transmutation, then-"

"Come on, Al, pick up the pace." Edward interrupted, walking a bit faster. The three of them walked a bit faster to pick up the pace. Melody stared at Ed's back for a moment before she started running up to him, Edward heard her footsteps and looked to see what she was doing as she came up behind him. She plucked something off of the back of his right shoulder and held it out on her finger to reveal a fuzzy blue caterpillar.

"You had a bug on you." She stated as she let it crawl on her finger.

"Thanks." Edward muttered, looking at the caterpillar. He looked back to see her blue-green gaze remained on it as it crawled onto her hand. "You don't get freaked out by bugs?"

"You're talking to a girl who spent most of her free time shoveling cow manure in the summer." Melody said, "So, no, I'm not freaked out by bugs."

"Except spiders." Shane said, "You hate spiders." Melody turned back to him.

"Only the big ones!" She whined, "After you saw that dumb documentary on the black widow, you got scared of spiders, too!" Shane's face flushed in shame while Ed and Al snickered.

"Ah, shut up." He muttered, looking away from them. Melody smiled and walked back to him after placing the caterpillar on the leaf of a nearby bush.

* * *

"Hello? Anybody home?" Ed called. Melody marveled at Dante's home, it wasn't a house, it was freaking mansion! It was styled in a way that was similar to Victorian, but looked a bit more modern, mainly because there was nothing fancy about the white walls or the red roof. Just a big house with lots of windows that had lots of railings underneath them.

The large, mahogany double doors were opened by a young woman with dark brown hair in a bob-cut, with fair skin, soft purple eyes, and a pink maid's outfit. Edward and Alphonse jumped when they saw her face. She bowed respectfully to the group, "We've been expecting you." She said, "Dante's anxious to meet you four." Edward gaped at her, pointing at her face, which she quickly noticed, "What?"

"I-I know you!" He said. Memories of his first mission to Yusewell came back as he looked at her.

"Lyra!" Both brothers exclaimed.

"Yes, that's right." Lyra said, completely calm towards their reactions. "And that must you two Shane and Melody, correct?" The couple nodded at her. "A pleasure to meet you. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to Dante." She turned and they followed her into the house, which seemed to very extravagant, but also very bare, as there weren't too many decorations on the walls. They could hear the sound of a record playing somewhere as they came inside.

Lyra spoke again as she led them to the stairs, "I apologize for my actions when we last met." She said to the Elric brothers.

"What are you doing here?" Ed asked.

"And what did you do to these guys when you last met?" Melody asked.

"She used her alchemy to try and kill us." Ed muttered, Melody blanched and looked back at Lyra, she didn't really seem like someone who would try and kill someone else.

"In my defense, I was working for a man who wanted you dead, and I was only doing what I was told." Lyra said. "And as for your question, Edward, Dante was kind enough to let me stay here as her apprentice." She turned to them and smiled, "One day I hope to be a great alchemist, just like her." Edward looked at her with a disbelieving face.

"Wait a minute," Al said, "I didn't know Dante was an alchemist."

"The best." Lyra said. She reached the top of the stairs and put her hands to her face in a dreamy sort of gesture, squirming slightly in either happiness or excitement, "And after I met you two boys in Yusewell, I knew I had to improve my skills and be a master alchemist!"

"Huh, well you've sure done a 180." Edward said. Lyra giggled and led them to a door at the end of the hallway.

She knocked before hearing an elderly voice say, "It's open." Lyra poked her head in as she opened the door.

"The Elric brothers and Mr. Trublood and Miss Kilgore have arrived." She announced. Dante closed the book she was reading as the four of them came in. Lyra shut the door behind them with a respectful bow.

"I've been waiting for you, Edward and Alphonse Elric." Dante said, "And you two as well, Shane Trublood and Melody Kilgore." Melody cringed slightly at the use of her last name. She took in Dante's appearance, seeing she was an old woman with a face that seemed to be warm and gentle to match the smile she gave them. She was wearing a purple shawl over a long-sleeved pale yellow shirt and ankle length black skirt. Her grey hair was done up into a bun that was held by a small netting. Melody heard the music was much louder in this room, which was obviously Dante's study.

"So you're Dante, are you?" Shane asked.

"That's right, and you four must be Izumi's great apprentices and their friends." She said, pulling the shawl closer around her. "I've heard what's going on, come with me and I'll make a fresh batch of medicine for her."

"I'm sorry, what's your relationship with Izumi?" Ed asked as she came forward.

"Simple." Dante replied, "She was my apprentice many, many years ago. I'm the one who taught her alchemy."

"I didn't know that." Edward said.

"Yes." Dante said, walking by him to open the door.

"So that means you're our teacher's teacher." Al said. Dante laughed a little.

"Yes, I suppose so." She said. She opened the door and the four followed after her.

* * *

"I'll be damned. How did I ever get so lucky?" Greed mused. He sat on a branch outside the window of Dante's study, and inside, he saw the Elric brothers and their friends talking to her. "I just stopped by to see an old friend, and who should I find in her mansion?" He smirked, "Well, as long as I'm here, I should have some fun!"

* * *

"You can't be serious." Tucker whispered, he sat on a barstool in the Devil's Nest, speaking with Kimbley, who had poured him a drink.

"You're a fellow state alchemist, tell me you don't want it, too." Kimbley said as he set the drink down. The door was opened by a man with brown hair and a sword at his waist.

"We just got a message from Greed." He said, "He's got a job for us." Kimbley looked over at him before turning back to Tucker.

"Why don't you think it over for a while?" He said as he began to walk around the bar. Seconds after he had turned, Tucker's drink exploded and the drink turned into vapor. Tucker stared at it, wide eyed.

* * *

"Dante, if I may ask," Al started, "What made you wanna become an alchemist?" Melody, Shane, Edward, Alphonse and Dante were outside Dante's home and in her garden, where she was picking some herbs.

"Number of reasons." Dante said, "Maybe it's foolish, but the most important reason is: I wanted to help people. Humans need alchemy more than they'll ever know. That doesn't mean alchemy is necessary for life, but it can provide valuable relief to those who need it. And I enjoy making people happy, rewarding them for their hard efforts in life. Providing a balance, if you would."

"Equivalency." Edward murmured.

"That's right." Dante said, looking up at him with her warm, brown eyes, "'He can only achieve happiness who puts forth an equal amount of work.' No greater truth." The two brothers smiled at each other, seeing as she believed in equivalency like they did.

* * *

Inside Dante's home, she was carefully mixing the herbs into Izumi's medicine. The group of teens were sitting at a table, waiting for her to finish.

"Dante, you're obviously a very smart alchemist." Melody started, "Can I ask your opinion on something?"

"Certainly." She said, not looking up from her work.

"In alchemy, do you suppose it's possible for someone to transport a person from one spot to another?" She asked.

"What? Do you mean something like teleportation?" Dante asked, Melody nodded. "Hmm…" She paused for a moment, "I suppose, using two transmutation circles, in theory, an alchemist could transport something from one circle to another. But the thing being transported would have to be directly on the circle."

"So, it's possible?" Melody asked. Dante looked over at her.

"In theory, yes, I believe so." She said, "Why? Are you trying to do that with alchemy yourself?" Melody faltered for a moment before quickly laughing it off.

"No, no. I'm not an alchemist." She said, "I can barely understand basic physics, let alone a science as complicated as alchemy. I was just curious."

Dante nodded and went back to the medicine. It was silent for a few more moments before Al spoke up.

"Dante? What do you think about the philosopher's stone?" He asked. Dante set the bowl down and looked over at the group.

"Why? Are you looking for it?" She asked. The two brothers shared a glance before looking back at her.

"N-No, I was just curious." Al stuttered, using Melody's excuse.

"Everyone who's gone looking for the stone has found nothing but unhappiness in the end." Dante said, suddenly becoming very serious, "I wonder if mankind truly is ready to possess such a powerful thing." The group shared glances at each other, wondering what they should do, before they could figure it out, Dante spoke again. "You really look like your father, Ed." The two brothers looked over at her in surprise. "I knew him very well. Hohenheim of light." She smiled, "He sought after the philosopher's stone, as well."

Ed turned away from her and glared at the wall, while Al sat up straighter, excited by this new piece of information. "Tell us more." Al urged.

"Do you know where your father's living now?" Dante asked.

"I don't care." Edward said. He got up from his seat and headed outside. The four of them looked back at Edward as he shut the door. Shane sighed.

"I'll go talk to him." He said as he got up and went outside after Edward.

* * *

Edward heard the door open and shut behind him as he walked away, he didn't care enough to look to see who it was. "Hey, what's your problem?" Shane asked, walking up behind him. When Edward didn't respond, he sighed again. "Look, Melody told me that you ain't exactly fond of your old man, but that doesn't mean that you gotta act like some prick whenever someone brings him up."

"What do you know?" Edward growled, not looking at him.

"Listen, everyone has their share of family problems, alright?" Shane said, "Myself included, but you don't see me making a huge fuss over it."

"Yeah, well your dad didn't walk out on you when you were a baby." Edward said, throwing him a harsh glare. Shane faltered and stopped walking. "And because of that, my mother made herself sick waiting for him, she died about a year after he left." Shane's eyes softened and he was about to say something when the two boys heard a banging sound and saw a small explosion at Ed's feet. They looked to see Kimbley, standing there, tossing a small stone into the air.

"You again!" Edward exclaimed, Shane noticed something out of his peripheral vision and looked to see Greed lifting his hands up to try and hit him. He jumped out of the way before the hit could land.

"Damn!" He cursed, he whipped out his hunting knife and charged at him. His knife made a solid hit to his face. When he saw that nothing happened, he jumped away, and looked to see his knife had been slightly chipped at the top of the blade. He and Edward looked back at Greed and glared.

"Hmph, you surprised?" Greed asked, bringing up a few fingers to scratch the area Shane had hit, "I call it the Ultimate Shield." He raised his fist and punched Edward out in one shot before he had a chance to do anything. Shane raised his knife and was about to attack again before Kimbley threw a rock at him and it exploded beside his ear. He yelped in shock and held his ear, trying to get it to stop ringing. In his distraction, Greed hit him as well, so he joined Edward on the ground, unconscious.

* * *

Inside the house, Melody and Al sat patiently, waiting for Dante to finish mixing the medicine. They suddenly heard someone scream, Al and Melody rushed to the door.

"Lyra?" Alphonse called, they looked down the hall just in time to see Lyra falling to the ground.

"Lyra!" Melody exclaimed. They heard a crashing sound and looked to see two men in the kitchen, one was a man with brown hair and a sword at his waist, sitting at the table in the kitchen. The other was a bald man with a large scar covering most of the right half of his head and upper face, he had a pair of small sunglasses on and he held a knife to Dante's throat.

"Don't move." He said, "We have no intention of harming you, your friend, or the old lady if you cooperate, kids."

"Dante!" Alphonse exclaimed.

"Hello." A voice greeted, Al and Melody turned around to see a woman with short blonde hair with a purple tattoo that went from her shoulder to her face. She smirked at the two teens as she walked past them into the kitchen.

"Who the hell are you guys?" Melody asked as a large, white-haired man came in holding what appeared to be a giant, metal mallet.

"We're kidnappers." The woman answered as the man with the sword stood up to go on the side of the two teens that was opposite her.

"Who are you kidnapping?" Al asked.

"Both of you, Alphonse Elric." The white-haired man answered. "I'm sorry, but you and your friend are gonna have to come with us, now."

"But my teacher taught me never to go anywhere with strangers." Al said, Melody blanched and looked up at him with a face that was a mix of surprise, worry, and exasperation.

"Don't be ridiculous." The man with the sword said, walking around them. "How old are you?"

"Fourteen." Al answered.

"If you're that old, you should be able to think and act for yourself by now, am I right?" He brought up his hand and poked Al's chest plate, "Listen, kid. If you ever wanna be a man, then you gotta act like one. You can't let your teacher run your life forever, right?" Al smacked his fist into his hand.

"Right. I should think for myself." He said.

"Now we're talkin'." The man said, "Then we're clear, you're gonna come with u-" He was cut off by Al hitting his head. The man quickly fell to the ground, losing consciousness. Al looked up at the other two who had come into the room.

"I decided not to go with strangers." Al said as he took a fighting position. "That's my decision, and mine alone." Melody whipped out her knife and held it at the ready. The tattooed woman stepped forward.

"Well, this should be fun." She mused with a small smirk.


	25. Chapter 25

25

Melody and Alphonse both held their fighting stances against the 'kidnappers'. The white-haired one came first, swinging his large mallet at the two. Al jumped back to avoid it and Melody jumped in the direction of the table, hitting the small of her back on the corner of the counter. She hissed in pain and held the spot on her back that was now throbbing.

She looked at where the mallet had landed and saw a large series of cracks in the plaster of the wall. The man with the sword came up from behind her and grabbed both of her hands and yanked her onto the floor. She fell on her butt with a loud "Oof!" as he went around her and over to Al.

With his sword unsheathed, he began swiping it at the suit of armor, who was carefully dodging them until his sword tip dove for the space in between his helmet and the rest of his body. He used his sword to toss it off of him, and Al's helmet landed near Dante and the man still holding a blade to her throat. The blonde haired woman, seeing as his helmet had slipped off, nimbly jumped up and landed on top of him.

"Hi, mind if I come in?" She asked before she literally twisted her way inside his armor. Al whimpered a little bit as his hands nervously fumbled around his chest plate. "Ooh, nice place you got here." The woman complimented from inside the armor.

"Oh, that's so _gross!_" Alphonse exclaimed. His hands kept fumbling around his chest plate, looking for anyway to get her out of his armor, "I know I can't feel you in there, but this is _so_ creepy! Get out!" His hand reached for the latch that attached the chest plate to the rest of him, but his hands flung out before he could get it off.

"Oh no, I like it in here." The woman said. Melody stood up at the sight, holding out her knife.

"Back off!" She yelled, starting to charge at them. The man with the sword stopped her knife with his weapon and knocked it out of her hand. He held the blade in front of her face, daring her to try and attack them again. Melody glared before she grabbed his sword and brought up her leg to kick him. He stumbled back, making the blade slip from her grip, letting some small droplets of blood find their way out of her hand. She hissed in pain and brought her hand back to herself, not realizing that the man who had held the blade to Dante's throat was now behind her. The man grabbed her arms in an iron grip that Melody couldn't get out of.

Al's fingers twitched and shook for a second before he began to bring his arms back to himself, fighting off the woman. "Just because you're inside me doesn't mean you can control me!" Al said, "I'm still stronger than you!"

"Oh, don't worry." The woman said, "I don't expect to match you in strength, big guy. I'm just trying to slow down your movements a little bit."

"And that's my cue." The white haired man said. Alphonse brought up his arm and attempted to hit his head, but the man blocked it, grabbed his arm, and tackled him to the ground. Al's body kept shaking as he tried to get out, but found it difficult with two people holding him down. "You okay, Marta?"

"Just a little headache." The woman replied, sounding a bit peeved.

"Now you two are going to come with us." The man said, "The boss wants to meet you."

* * *

Edward and Shane ran around town, asking people if they've seen anyone matching Alphonse's or Melody's description. They kept turning up with a lot of 'no, sorry,' or 'haven't seen them, sorry.' The two boys rounded an alley corner and began to go down that street.

"Hey, Ed?" Shane said as they were moving in another direction. "Who do you think those guys were?"

"I have no idea." Ed replied, "I did know that one with the exploding rocks, though."

"Yeah, I recognized him, too." Shane said, "What do you think they want with Al? Or Melody?"

"I don't know." Edward said, turning another corner. He stopped once a thought came to his mind, "Wait, what if they found out about you and Melody?"

"What do you mean?" Shane asked, "You mean, if they found out where we come from?" Ed nodded.

"Think about it, that Kimbley guy is an alchemist, and I know a lot of people that could a helluva lot of damage with information about the gate." Edward said, "What if he thinks you and Melody actually know something about it?"

"But we don't know anything!" Shane said, "The gate thing is just a theory, anyway. We aren't completely sure how we got here. Or how to get back. Kidnapping one of us for that reason is a waste of time."

"But they don't know that!" Ed pointed out, "Whoever's heading this thing probably believes that you and Melody are some sort of link to the gate! It's not true, I know, but that could be what they're after."

"Well, how would they know any of that? What, they got some hidden mic on us?" Shane asked.

"I'm not sure!" Ed exclaimed, "Oh, forget this, we're wasting time anyway!" Ed ran off and Shane quickly followed after him.

* * *

Melody squirmed a little bit in her bindings. She and Al had been brought to some basement of a pub called 'The Devil's Nest.' She had her wrists and ankles bound together, and she had been placed next to Al. Alphonse was bound like she was, only he was bound by some solid chains, and she was bound by rope. If that wasn't enough, the girl who turned out to be a chimera was still in Al's body. Al noticed her squirming as she tried to separate her wrists from each other.

"Are you okay, Melody?" Al asked, concerned for his friend.

"Well, other than the fact that these ropes are tight enough to give me rope burns, I'm perfectly fine." Melody replied with sarcastic happiness. She tried to wiggle her wrists out of the ropes, but to no avail.

"What about your knife? Don't you have it on you?" Al asked, Melody stopped wiggling and went into a small depression (A/N: In anime, she would be making the TT^TT face).

"No, I dropped it back at Dante's house." She whined. "Besides talking about my knife wouldn't be much good in this situation." She eyed Al's chest plate, and he knew she was talking about the chimera inside of him.

"Sorry about this." The woman said, overhearing her, "I know how creepy this has to be, but I'm supposed to keep an eye on you, so you'll have to bear with me a while."

"It's alright, I'm already used to it." Al said, "Just be careful about my blood seal, okay? If you accidentally touch it, I could die." Melody looked over at the other people she had found out were chimeras. She didn't know what they were mixed with, but she had learned their names. The one with the sword was named Dolcetto, the big one with white hair and big mallet was named Roa, and the one inside of Al was named Marta. Al looked over at Dolcetto, who was smoking a pipe contentedly. "Hey, how'd you guys get to be chimeras, anyway?"

He let out a puff of smoke before he answered, "Well, all of us were serving in the military. We were stationed in the east on assignments. Some were injured, others… Well, let's just say we weren't useful anymore. They took us somewhere, for experiments."

"Laboratory 5?" Al asked.

"That's right." Marta said, "Greed… He saved us from that damn place and offered all of us jobs working for him, if we wanted."

"Greed?" Melody echoed.

"He took us out of the cages and gave us something we could all call home." Dolcetto said. The door to the room opened with a small creak. Melody looked to see a man with dark skin, dark brown hair, a pair of small sunglasses, a vest with a white fur collar, leather pants, boots, and a few wristbands walk in with a few other people she recognized, including the lizard-man she had seen before, and a tall man with a pair of glasses dressed in a big overcoat who looked familiar, but she didn't remember where she knew him from.

"That's right guys." The man with the sunglasses said, "See, this place is hand-crafted for outlaws. Where people who don't fit in on the outside can hide out for a while." Each one of them filed in, and as Melody got a closer look at the man in the over coat, she realized his eyebrows were where his mouth should be.

"Tucker?" Al questioned, seeing him. Melody whipped her head to him.

"Wait a sec, that guy's Tucker?" She asked, she looked at him again and realized he was the giant furry creature she had seen at Lab 5. The one who resembled a bear, but had the face of a man. "You gotta be kidding! That guy's the freak I saw in Lab 5!"

"Why are you here?" Al asked, his voice hard.

"Don't misunderstand, Al." Tucker pleaded, his voice still nothing but a whisper. "I'm not here by choice, I promise."

"If things don't go as planned, the doctor here is the only one who can cure us chimeras." One of the chimeras said, Melody didn't know his name. Tucker sighed despondently. The man with the sunglasses walked over to them and took Al's helmet from his body.

"I'll be damned." He breathed, "Just like you said, Dr. Tucker," He turned to Tucker with a smirk, "He really is empty."

"But-! But I'm not the one who taught them how to apprehend you and your friend, Al!" Tucker defended. Greed placed Al's head back on his shoulders and went over to Melody. He took one look at her and his smirk grew.

"Well, look at you." He said, he grasped her chin with his fingers and turned her head from side to side, "You seem like a perfectly normal human." Melody's eyes narrowed and she tried to bite his hand, but he released before she could.

"That's 'cuz I am." She said.

"Oh, I wouldn't bet on that." The man said, "You're one of the kids from the other side, aren't you?" Melody's eyes widened, "It's almost a shame I could only grab one of you. _Almost._" Melody glared at him. "At least you're a girl."

"Back off, creeper!" She growled. She brought up her legs to kick him, but he jumped back before she could. The man chuckled, still keeping his smirk on his face as he put his hands on his knees and looked at Al.

"It's a treat to meet you both." He said, "You can just call me Greed." He pointed his thumb at himself, "I'm your new friend." Al noticed something on his hand, upon closer inspection, he saw that it was a tattoo of a snake devouring its own tail.

"A tattoo of the ouroboros…" He muttered. Greed stood up straight.

"So you know what that is." He said, "Well, this should go quickly, then."

"That makes you a friend of Envy, Lust, and the others, doesn't it?" Al asked.

"I wouldn't say _'friends.'_" Greed said, "More like sworn enemies, if you wanna get down to the grit."

"That doesn't make sense." Melody said, "Why be the enemy of your own kind?"

"Well, let's just say we don't agree on certain things involving other things." Greed replied.

"I don't get it." Al said. Greed knelt down so he was eye-level with him.

"Well, Al-That is your name, right?" He said, "Tell me, how does it feel to have your soul attached to this empty armor?" When Al didn't reply, he just 'hmphed' at him. He knocked against the armor once before standing up. "To exist as a chunk of solid metal rather than a soft and cushy human worm. In other words, completely unaffected by weaknesses like hunger, fatigue, and old age. You could call that _eternal life_, couldn't you?"

"Eternal life?" Al echoed, "That's why you kidnapped me? Eternal life?"

"They don't call me Greed for nothing!" Greed said, his sunglasses giving off a small glare that made him seem a little insane as he spoke, "I want money! I want women! Status, and power! I want everything this world's selling _and eternity's topping the list!_" He knelt back down to him, "Do you understand? You can help me achieve what I'm going for, Al. And you will help me here, because if you don't tell me how you're soul's bound to that armor, I'll break it apart to find out."

"Wait, if you're just after eternal life, then what was the point in kidnapping me!" Melody asked, almost yelling.

"Easy, once I take everything this world has to offer," Greed said, "I'll go to your world and take everything it has to offer."

"Who said I was from another world?" Melody said, "You don't have any proof to that stupid notion!"

"Oh? Then why did you tell the older Elric you were from another world?" He asked, "As I recall, you told him that yesterday, in the hospital." Melody looked up at him, her face the definition of shock.

"You were spying on me…?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"Just the Elrics, actually." Greed said, "You just happened to be there when you said that little piece." Melody said nothing, "It really is quite interesting, I can't wait to see what your world is like." Melody only sat there, completely still, her face showing how worried she was. Al was unaware of what thoughts were going through her head, but he didn't want her to be too worried. Al looked back to Greed.

"I won't help you." Al told him, "You're a bad person."

"You can act tough for a while, if you insist." Greed said, "Just remember that nobody's on their way to save you. So, you're at me mercy now."

"My brother knows you took us!" Al said, Greed's smirk disappeared for a moment. "I bet he's on his way right-!"

"Oh, yeah, about him." Greed interrupted, "When I left him he wasn't feeling so good." He gave them a thumbs-down. Alphonse looked up at Greed, a small worried sound escaping him. "And your little boyfriend was probably worse." He added, looking over at Melody.

"You _bastard!_" Melody growled, "What'd you do to Shane?"

"You better not have hurt my brother!" Al said, Melody saw his fingers move around to see he had made a transmutation circle. He activated it and a giant stone fist came up from the floor, punching Greed in the stomach and holding him up there. "You let your guard down. Now, all I need to do is use this chain to-"

"To do what, exactly?" Greed asked, Melody saw that his hands had become covered in something black as he grabbed the fist, squeezed it, and crushed it into pieces. When he stood up, he grabbed Al's helmet and pushed him down so he was face-first with the ground. He knelt down, holding him there. "Now that was silly."

"Alphonse!" Melody exclaimed.

"Oh, sorry about that, Marta." Greed said, "I forgot you were keeping house." In the excitement, Melody had forgotten, too. Poor Marta, her head must be spinning after that. _Wait, am I seriously taking __pity__ on my own __kidnappers__?_ Melody scolded herself in her head for thinking those things. Greed smirked and patted Al's helmet as he stood back up. "I like a man with guts." He walked back to the other chimeras, Al looked up at him. "But did you honestly think it'd be that easy?" He turned to face them, "I mean if you really wanna hurt me," He held up his index finger, "You have to do something kind of like-" Roa suddenly swung his hammer to cut off the top half of Greed's head. It bounced away from his body as it fell to the ground. Melody shrieked with wide, fear-filled eyes, and covering her mouth in shock. Alphonse's state was only slightly different, he looked up at Roa, who simply placed the heavier end of the hammer to rest in his hand.

"What'd you do that for?" Al asked, "I thought he was your friend!" He watched as Greed's body slowly came back up, still holding up his index finger. When he stood, he was still missing half of his head. His body took a couple steps so it would face them. Both teens watched in awe as his head began to regenerate his skull, then his muscles and eyes and other organs, and then his skin and hair. When it was done, he was perfectly fine. He grunted as he used his hand and pushed his head a little until a large pop was heard. He looked back at the two with a wicked grin.

"See? I've got quite a shell, too, Al." Greed said, he turned back to Roa with an irritated expression, "Hey bud, a little cleaner next time, 'kay?"

"Yes sir, I'm sorry." Roa apologized. Greed turned away and blew some blood out of his nose.

"I know what you're thinking." Greed said, "If I have this body, then why do I need your secret-" He stopped as rumbling was heard and felt throughout the room. A pair of metal double doors were suddenly transmuted in the wall. Greed looked at the doors with an irritated face.

"Brother!" Al exclaimed happily. The doors began to open to reveal the alchemist that made them, but it was not Edward, it was Izumi. She was dragging someone with her and Sig was right behind her. Al faltered, he was happy, nervous, relieved, and scared shitless all at once.

"Excuse me for the interruption, gentleman." Izumi said as she strolled in.

"T-Teacher!" Al squeaked.

"Oh boy…" Melody muttered.

"I'm sorry." Greed smirked, not really caring what was going on, "Who the hell are you?" Izumi took a few more steps before stopping a few feet from Greed. She bowed before coming back up with an infuriated face, pointing her thumb at herself.

"_Pissed off!_"

* * *

Edward ran into an alley, Shane following. Edward stopped when he saw blue uniforms on the other side and held out his arm to stop Shane. He carefully took a second look to see that it was the military's uniforms, each man was carrying a gun. Edward looked to Shane, who nodded before they began to run off.

"Edward Elric." A deep voice called. The two stopped and listened as they heard heavy footsteps approach them, "And Shane Trublood, I did not expect to see you here." Shane turned around and was surprised to see the person talking to them.

"Major Armstrong?" Shane asked. Armstrong nodded.

"You're looking for Melody and Alphonse, aren't you?" He asked. Ed whirled around to him with an angry expression.

"Have you been following me?" He growled. When Armstrong didn't reply, it only made him angrier, "I bet you saw them get kidnapped and just sat there!"

"…We, too, are following these people." Armstrong said, "The safety of Miss Melody and your brother are not our first priority at this time, Edward."

"Yeah, I bet it's not!" Edward growled. Shane looked over at Edward to see him glaring fiercely at him.

"Ed, lay off." Shane hissed. Ed glared at him, "Look, I'm upset, too. But the Major's just following orders." Shane looked up at Armstrong, "What are your orders, anyway, Major?"

"The military is preparing to raid the chimera sanctuary." Armstrong said, "We believe that your brother and Miss Melody are with them."

"Where is it? Tell me!" Edward demanded. At first, Armstrong was quiet.

"Major, it's Melody." Shane said, "She's probably the only girl there, and God knows what they're plannin' to do with 'er."

"…A pub called The Devil's Nest." Armstrong said, telling them where they were hidden.

"Where's the pub?" Shane demanded.

"On the outskirts of the town." Armstrong said, "If you keep heading southward, you should get there before we do." Shane and Edward nodded in thanks before running off.

* * *

Melody watched as Izumi beat down another chimera and threw him against the wall. "Hey, hey, hey…" Greed muttered, he looked at some of the chimeras she had just beaten, "Nice manners." He commented dryly, "I can see where the kids learned theirs." Izumi turned to Greed.

"Are you the one who's in charge here?" She asked, she began to walk up to him, "Thank you for taking care of Melody and Al for a while. But I'll be taking them home, now!"

"I'm afraid that's not true." Greed said.

"I see." Izumi said before she swiftly brought her fist up to connect with his jaw. Greed didn't fall over, he didn't even flinch. The two stayed in that position for a few seconds before Izumi took in a sharp breath.

"Well, you're just full of surprises." Greed said, smirking. Izumi glared at him, "Tell me, did you break three fingers or four?" Izumi jumped back, holding a hand with red, swollen knuckles.

"Izumi!" She exclaimed, worried for her. Melody looked and saw that, where Izumi had punched him, Greed now had a strange black coating over his skin. She watched as it slowly retracted back into the shirt he was wearing.

"That's a pretty weird body you've got there." Izumi said, sweating slightly, a bit unnerved by what she saw.

"I suppose." Greed replied nonchalantly, "I never did bruise very easily."

"Oh." Izumi sighed, "Well, I'll just have to start trying harder, then."

"Teacher, where's my brother? Is he safe?" Al asked.

"I should be asking you that." Izumi said. "Apparently, the two of you can't even run a simple errand for me." Al faltered and Izumi sent him a deadly glare, "You're both in for a long lecture later, _so you'd better get ready!_" She growled. Al shrunk back in fear.

"I-I'm sorry!" He squeaked out, his armor shaking. Melody shrunk back as well, fearing any punishment Izumi may have for her, although she has yet to do so. Izumi clapped her hands in transmutation and put them to the floor. Tucker noticed a key factor about her alchemy right away.

"No transmutation circle!" He exclaimed. Izumi's alchemy made the floor around Greed curl up around him like a snake curling up around its prey. When it was finished, the only thing visible of Greed was his head.

"Not even gonna try?" Izumi asked, seeing as he hadn't moved.

"I have no intention of fighting a woman." Greed replied, he looked over at Al and Melody, "All I want from them is the secret of _his_ transmutation, and the secret to how _she_ got here. Simple as that."

"And if you get it?" Izumi asked.

"Why, then I'll have the secret to eternal life and I'll have _two_ worlds on a silver platter." Greed said.

"This is getting us nowhere." Izumi said as she clapped her hands again. She put them to the ground to make a giant stone fist come up and punch Greed with enough force to make a normal man's head shoot off his shoulders.

"You did it!" Al exclaimed. When the smoke cleared, they saw Greed was still there, the fist coming in contact with the darkened skin. The fist crumbled and Greed smirked at them.

"Don't look so surprised." He said, "I told you before I don't bruise easily. Don't you listen, doll?" Izumi stood and glared at the chimeras that were beginning to surround her. She saw Greed break out of the stone she had encased him in, still wearing his smirk. Sig stepped out in front of Izumi.

"Sig, no." Izumi told him.

"Yes, I've had my fill of doing nothing." He said.

"It's just, I…" Izumi looked to the ground, "I can't watch… as more babies are taken from me…" She looked back up at him, "I can't!"

"No." Sig said, standing his ground.

"Give me a break!" Greed said, "Are you still up for more?" Sig roared as he ran over, grabbing the chimeras that were in front of Greed, Izumi ran underneath his arm and charged at Greed. He dodged, so Izumi tried to sweep kick him. That knocked him back a few steps. Izumi then transmuted a spear from the floor and began trying to plunge it through him. Greed backed up against a wall, and as Izumi was about to strike again, she coughed up a puddle of blood and dropped to her knees.

"Izumi!" Sig cried.

"Teacher!" Al cried. Izumi stay down, trying to catch her breath. Greed sauntered over to her.

"Oh, I guess you've been pushing yourself a little hard there, huh?" He taunted as he grabbed her collar and held her up. He looked over at Sig with his overconfident smirk, "Well, are we done playin' games now?" Sig faltered a little. "This sort of business isn't my style, but if you don't cooperate, I won't have a choice."

"_Get your filthy hands off her!_" A voice growled, everyone's attention was turned to the two boys who had just come in. One was Shane, holding his knife by his side, the other was Edward, who was the one who had spoken.

"Now it's the older brother and the little boyfriend, huh?" Greed said, "Looks like everyone's here." Edward looked around the room to see how many chimeras he was dealing with, and his eyes rested on the large, coated blob hiding in the corner.

"Tucker." He muttered, recognizing him. Tucker flinched and hid back behind the wall.

"E-Edward…" He greeted nervously.

"You too?" Edward demanded, suspecting Tucker of being a part of his brother's kidnapping. Shane looked around the room and his eyes rested on Melody and her bindings. He looked to Greed and ground his teeth as he glared at him.

"You really screwed up." He growled. Ed turned his attention to Greed and glared.

"Got that right." Edward growled. "First, you take my brother and my friend, and now you hurt my teacher, too!"

"Come on," Greed said, "All you have to do is tell me how to transmute a soul into and object and-"

"_Shut up!_" Ed yelled, Greed's face fell. "Put my teacher down, and let them go. _Now!_"

"Guys, be careful, he's a homunculus!" Melody said.

"Hey listen!" Greed said, "I got a hostage here! Is everyone forgetting about that?"

"I see…" Edward muttered, ignoring Greed, "No wonder." He and Shane charged into the chimeras and began fighting them off.

"Come on!" Greed griped, "Isn't anyone paying attention, here? Hello?" Izumi reached up and grabbed Greed's hand and threw him a good few feet.

"Teacher!" Ed called as he smashed two chimera's heads together and jumped over them, Shane still fighting off a couple others.

"Edward!" Izumi called.

"Here!" Edward landed a few feet from her, they both clapped their hands in transmutation at the same time and put them to the floor, surrounding Greed with spikes. A second later, he destroyed the spikes as he stood up, his hands now more claw-like and covered in black skin.

"You just don't get it." He said, "I told you both, I am the Ultimate Shield!" The two alchemists stood up, ready to keep fighting, but Izumi spat out blood and fell to her knees again. Two simultaneous cries of "Teacher!" Got Sig's attention as he ran over to his wife. Shane managed to make it over to them, and he and Edward stayed close, worried for her. Ed noticed that the chimeras began to surround them, and he glared.

"Hold it." Greed ordered. The chimeras looked to him as he stood up and walked a little closer to their group. He cracked his knuckles as he spoke to Edward, "Let's do this man to man."

"Keep her safe for me, okay?" Edward told Sig.

"Yes." He replied, Edward turned to Shane.

"You, too." He said, Shane glanced to Melody, and then to Izumi with some reluctance, Edward noticed, "She'll be fine." Shane sighed and nodded as Edward walked forward.

"I hope you're ready for me to fight back this time, Mr. Elric." Greed taunted.

"Don't worry." Ed said as he transmuted his automail into a blade, "I'm always ready when I'm pissed!"

* * *

A soldier walked up to Archer and Armstrong and saluted, "We've completed preparations at the back. The alley is completely blocked." He reported, "We're ready to move in."

* * *

Kimbley stood in front of a safe. The body of a dead chimera was behind him, and he grinned maliciously before using his special brand of alchemy to open the safe.

* * *

Edward's blade clashed with Greed's skin, causing sparks to fly. Edward jumped back and transmuted the floor to make three large square pillars. Greed jumped back from each one as it was made. Edward used the pillars as stairs to attack Greed from above. Greed blocked it using his hand, he pulled back the other one and made it into a fist.

"Not good enough!" He said as he punched Edward. Edward flew back, but he did a flip to help him get back on his feet. "You know, you and your brother are being completely dense here."

"How's that?" Edward growled.

"Well, as two cunning boys who have so diligently pursued their goals, how can you not be understanding?" Greed asked, "When somebody like me simply wants to pursue his own?"

"Our goals are completely different from yours!" Ed yelled.

"You think so." Greed said, "Homunculus or human, we're all really the same, now wouldn't you say? I mean, we all live to chase after our own goals, and to hell with everyone else!"

"Not us!" Edward said.

"Oh, come on." Greed said, "You're looking for the philosopher's stone, right?"

"I don't care about the philosopher's stone!" Edward said, "All I care about is returning my little brother to the body he was born with!" Greed glanced at Alphonse.

"But he's far better off staying in the body he's got now!" Greed said.

"_What the hell do you know?_" Ed growled, "_Not everyone's like you!_" Edward's glare deepened, "I didn't come here to negotiate. If all you homunculi are mistakes created by alchemists, the results of their sins. Well, then an alchemist should be responsible for correcting those mistakes, starting right now!" Greed looked stunned for a moment before smirking.

"Oh, all right." He said, "I didn't want to have to show you this, since it does get a bit ugly." Greed took off his vest, "But since you're getting all serious on me…" He dropped the vest, "Then I'll get serious, too." His skin suddenly began to change into a darker color, covering all the open skin on his upper body, all the way up to his face.

"What the hell…?" Shane whispered, observing the transformation. When the transformation was finished, he didn't look human at all. His skin was black, his eyes were red with purple irises, his teeth had turned into fangs and he no longer had lips, his hands were claws, and he had a pattern of lines ending in circles all over his body.

"This is my real form." Greed said, his voice slightly altered, he taunted Ed with his fingers, "Come and get it." Ed faltered for a second before charging at him, he jumped up, trapped Greed's head in between his feet, and used his weight to slam him head-first into the ground. Edward got up and looked at Greed as he began to get back up. "Didn't even hurt."

"You're lying!" Edward yelled. He had slammed him hard enough to make a hole in the concrete! It had to have, at least, hurt! Greed stood up and faced Ed.

"My body's structure and composition are completely unaltered." He said.

"So, you are the 'Ultimate Shield…'" Edward muttered, getting ready for him to attack.

"We're in _deep_ shit now." Melody murmured to herself. _If that didn't hurt, and he can regenerate from losing his own body parts, then how are you supposed to beat this guy?_ Her thoughts raced in worry.

"You've never killed anyone, have you, kid?" Ed faltered.

"What's that got to do with it?" He asked.

"I'm saying you lack the guts to kill." Greed said. "You'll never beat me like that, and you'll never beat the other homunculi, either. So I'll help you find the guts now, _by showing you some of your own!_"

* * *

Soldiers kicked down the door to the Devil's Nest and fired at the fleeing people. One of the fleeing men went around back to try and run out the back door, but found a soldier knocking it down. He cursed before the soldier shot at him. He signaled for more soldiers to follow him as they ran down the hall and busted open a door to see a body lying on the ground in front of a man with long, black hair in a loose ponytail holding a small bag in front of a safe that was busted through.

Kimbley turned to look at the soldiers and smirked. "Hey."

* * *

"Greed!" Someone said as they stood at the door, "The military! They're here-!" He stopped as a bullet was shot through his head and he fell to the ground. Dolcetto and another chimera shut the doors.

"So what now?" Dolcetto asked as the other chimera began to board up the door.

"Well, damn it." Greed cursed, "Those bastards went and ruined our fight!"

"Well, hell, boss. Don't sound worried or anything." Dolcetto muttered. There was a banging heard on the other side of the door and the two chimeras backed up in fear.

"Play it cool." Greed told them, "There's no one in the military who can do us any harm." One of the room's walls suddenly exploded, as the smoke cleared, they saw that on the other side was Kimbley with a malicious smirk.

"Kimbley." Greed said, the smoke began to clear up more, and behind Kimbley was Archer, holding a small bag. Greed gasped, and in his shock, turned back to his more human form. "Bastard! You've betrayed us, haven't you?" Kimbley grinned as a response.

Roa took his mallet and hit the wall to make an exit way. "It's time to move!" He called.

"Greed, let's go." One of the chimeras said as the grabbed his shoulder and pushed him, seeing as he was still glaring at Kimbley.

"No, wait!" Ed called, seeing Roa pick Al up and throw him over his shoulder. Melody was picked up by a bald chimera and thrown over his shoulder.

"Stop!" Shane called, Dolcetto ran up and put them both down on the ground, he punched Ed, and hit Shane in the face with the handle of his sword.

"See ya, kid. It's been fun." He said as he followed the others. Ed and Shane glared and got up as some soldiers came into the room, surrounding the two and pointing their barrels at them.

"What is this?" Ed growled as he stood up, Shane following.

"Please don't resist, Mr. Elric." One of the soldiers said.

"Resist?" Ed echoed, "What are you talk-!"

"Lieutenant Colonel Archer is asking for you and Mr. Trublood." Another soldier said, "Please come with us."

"Are you insane?" Shane growled, "Those criminals just ran off with _my_ girlfriend and _his_ brother, and you expect us to-!" He was cut off as the guns were aimed at him.

"I'm afraid this is an order." The soldier said. Ed glared at the officer, as did Shane, the only difference was that Shane's lip had twisted upward into a small snarl.

* * *

**Hi! I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry if you guys had to wait long for this! This is chapter 25, and once the whole fiasco with Greed is over, I'm going to end this little story. It's kind of sad that it's gonna be over, but I've come up with what I hope is a decent ending! **

**-Chibimaker**

**Reviews greatly appreciated! ^_^**


	26. Chapter 26

26

"Will you drop this stupid routine?" Edward growled, "I've told you everything we know!" He, Shane, Izumi, and Sig had been led out of the Devil's Nest and placed under the watch of a few soldiers.

"Sorry, sir." One of the soldiers interviewing Ed replied, "The orders from Lieutenant Colonel Archer were very clear."

"This is not the time for protocol!" Shane growled, "There are two lives in danger here, for Christ's sake!" The two soldiers just glanced at each other and sighed, Edward was still fuming.

* * *

"The Crimson Alchemist: Zalv J. Kimbley, and the Sewing Life Alchemist: Shou Tucker." Archer said, looking at the two. "A pair of infamous ghosts."

"I've held my end of the bargain." Kimbley told him, "How 'bout you?"

"You don't have to worry." Archer said, he turned his glance to Tucker, "Neither do you, doctor. I'll guarantee safety for you both. See, you're under the protection of Frank Archer, now."

"Protection?" Tucker repeated, curious of the Lieutenant Colonel.

"That's right." Archer nodded, "I'm reinstating you into the military to continue your research. But this time, you'll be working directly under me."

"You'll let me… finish my work?" Tucker asked in surprised excitement.

"Yes." Archer nodded, he turned to the two soldiers next to him, "I'll be changing my orders. Tell the troops not to take prisoners, kill _anyone_ who looks suspicious. I want this place cleaned."

"But sir, there's civilians. Are you sure that's okay?" One of the soldiers asked.

"It is now." Archer said, turning his attention back to the two alchemists in front of him. _Now that Tucker's on our side, those creatures can be replaced._ Archer thought, _And not even Greed can stop me._ He glanced down at the bag given to him by Kimbley,

_As long as I have this._

_

* * *

_

Soldiers ran down the halls of the sewers, having already killed several chimeras. The body of one that resembled something like a human and a lizard floated down the water. They had followed the group of people from the basement down here, hoping to secure the hostages. They shot at one of the chimeras, who was shooting back at them from around a corner. When he stopped, they fired back, killing him with a shot to the head.

Melody watched as the bald chimera that had dragged her to the pub fall to the ground, dead. She was being held by Greed, still tied up, and Al was held by Roa. Dolcetto ground his teeth at the sight of his fallen comrade.

"Be smart." Greed warned him.

"Like hell!" He didn't listen as he ran toward the soldiers, slashing at each of them and killing them. Greed stared after him.

"Greed! Move!" Roa told him.

"Right." Greed said, he ran after Roa. They didn't get too far when a wall exploded in front of them. When the smoke cleared, they saw a tall, muscled man in half of a military uniform, the coat was dropped onto the floor.

"My name is Alex Louis Armstrong. Heir to the family trade." He introduced, "But you can call me," He struck a pose, "The Strong Arm Alchemist." Alphonse and Melody looked up.

"Major!" Alphonse exclaimed.

"Oh, thank you, God!" Melody breathed. Roa put Alphonse down and walked up to him.

"My demands are simple." Armstrong continued, "You give Alphonse Elric and Melody Kilgore to me." Roa said nothing as he pulled out his mallet and began to swing it at the Major. He blocked it by punching the mallet with his left hand, and Melody noticed that he began using alchemy on it. Roa jumped back from the blow and glanced at his hammer to see that it had taken the form of Armstrong striking a pose instead.

"Damn." Roa cursed.

"Behold!" Armstrong said, "A little sample of the artistic alchemy that's been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!" Roa looked back to him.

"Well, obviously, I'll need more than this to stand a chance." He said, dropping the, now useless, hammer on the ground. "Maybe some real muscle instead!" Armstrong's eyes widened as he saw undergo a small transformation that made claws appear on his hands, horns appear on his head, and his muscles grow larger.

"I'm… not sure what to say." Armstrong said, looking at his complete form. Roa let out a roar as he began to charge Armstrong. He punched at Armstrong, but he avoided so he hit the sewer wall instead, leaving a big hole. Armstrong threw a barrage of punches at Roa with his alchemic gloves without using any alchemy on him. They continued until Roa grabbed his wrist mid-punch, used it to pick him up over his head and throw him down onto the concrete floor, head first. Then, he grabbed Armstrong by the neck, and pushed his face against the wall and ran. The Major's blood began to stain the walls as he was dragged by the chimera. He stopped him by grabbing one of the newly-formed horns on his head and threw him down. Before his feet even touched the floor, however, Armstrong grabbed them and tucked them under his arms as he began to swing Roa around in a circle before throwing him and having him hit the floor a few feet away. Armstrong chuckled appreciatively as he got into another stance, "It's been too long since I've had this good of a battle." He said.

"I'd expect nothing less from you, Armstrong." Roa said, resting on one knee, he looked up at Armstrong, "Your strength hasn't changed at all from back then." Armstrong faltered, wondering what he meant, "I served as a soldier, on assignment in Ishbal during the campaign." Roa explained, seeing his expression, "I know your talents well."

"A former comrade…" Armstrong murmured, he lowered his stance completely, "Well, then I certainly don't want to kill you. Surrender now and live." Roa smiled crookedly.

"An impossible request!" He told Armstrong. No one said anything as groups of footsteps were heard and everyone but Armstrong turned to see a group of soldiers with guns come in through the hole Armstrong had made earlier. They pointed their guns at Greed and the others.

"It's us, Major." One of the soldiers said, "Step aside."

"We'll take 'em!" Another soldier said.

"Come on, now. Don't waste your lives." Armstrong said, ignoring the soldiers. Greed smirked.

"Alright, I'll gladly take that advice." He said, Armstrong looked over at him, "But pass along a message to Kimbley and Tucker, will you?" Roa stood and walked over to the sewer wall, "Tell them both they just wasted theirs!" Roa hit the wall hard enough for the cracks made from his punch to travel upward toward the ceiling, destroying some of the water pipes that had been placed there. The ceiling crumbled and fell to the floor in a dusty heap in front of the Major. When it had stopped, Armstrong looked to see the remains of the sewer walls had put a wall in between him and where the chimeras would have been, if they were still there. He knew the criminals were gone, and they had taken Alphonse and Melody with them.

* * *

One of the soldiers looking after Edward, Shane, Izumi, and Sig turned to his friend, "They finally quieted down." He said to him. Seeing as none of them had made any comment for a while, all of them were facing away from the soldiers, still bundled up in the tan blankets they had given them.

"He was being a real noisy pain in the ass earlier." The other soldier commented, talking about Edward.

"Yeah, well, I guess he finally got tired of whining." Said the other.

"That's better for us." His friend said.

"You can say that again." The other agreed. Neither of them knew the reason they were so quiet, was because they weren't even there. Edward had transmuted dummies to take their place when the soldiers weren't looking.

Izumi and Sig had returned home, Edward and Shane had gone after Al and Melody, into the forest near Dante's home.

* * *

Greed let out a puff of smoke from the cigarette he was smoking. He, Roa, Marta, and Dolcetto had gotten away to an abandoned barn way out in the woods, Alphonse and Melody still with them, and still tied up. He walked over to a nearby window.

"So we're the only ones that got away." He muttered darkly, he glared at the glass of the windowpane, taking in one more breath of smoke before throwing the cigarette on the floor. He ground his teeth in anger as he thought about all that had happened. _What the hell am I gonna do now?_ He thought.

"How long did you think you could last?" A silky voice asked. Roa and Dolcetto stood as they saw a curvy woman with dark, flowing hair come in, followed by a shorter, fat man with a bald head and beady eyes. "It's been a thrill, but time's up." Greed glared at her as she came in.

"And who might you be?" He asked. The woman looked over at the fat man.

"From what I've been told, you've already met Gluttony." She said, she turned back to Greed, "As for me, well, can't you tell? I'm the new Lust."

"You don't say." Greed muttered, seething.

"I don't usually like to be so quick about things, but you have two options, Greed." Lust drawled, "You can either be sealed again, or you can die, right here."

"Who's gonna pull that one off?" Greed asked, his smirk returning, "Don't tell me it's you!"

"Here's a story," Lust started, "A lowly homunculus actually tries to defy the person who pulls all the strings, and is locked in a cell for 140 years." Greed's eyes narrowed, "When he escapes, that person gets angry. And gives us everything we need… to end it."

"End it! End it!" Gluttony repeated, waving his arms excitedly over his chest. Dolcetto pulled out his sword and sliced at Al and Melody's bindings. The ropes and chains fell to the ground.

"There's no time to talk, just cooperate." Dolcetto told them.

"Make sure Marta's safe." Roa told Al. The two teenagers stood.

"But what are you guys gonna do?" Al asked.

"Wait, Roa!" Marta called from inside Al's armor, "Dolcetto, what's happening?"

"Get out of here, Greed. Now." Roa said, he and Dolcetto coming in front of him.

"We'll take care of this." Dolcetto said, his hand on the sword. Greed stared at the two, eyes wide in surprise.

"It's my problem." He told them.

"Well, it's ours, now!" Dolcetto said, "We're not going to lose you, here!" Roa transformed into the form he had used against Armstrong, "Just say that we're all avenged. That's all I'm asking for."

"My, you sure have some loyal pawns, don't you?" Lust said, seeing their determination.

"You can blame it on the alchemists who engineered me." Dolcetto told her, "I was combined with a dog, loyalty just runs in the blood."

"Greed gave us hope for nothing!" Roa told her, "Now we'll return the deed." Lust's stare turned piercing as she looked at Greed, a chilling smile on her face. Greed bared his teeth in anger.

"Greed! Now!" Dolcetto told him. Greed ran for the door, still fuming.

"Come on!" He ordered the two teens.

"Ah! Okay!" Al followed after him, and Melody followed after Al. Lust watched them leave, her smile never leaving her face. She turned her gaze to Roa.

"And what did they combine you with?" She asked.

"You may run for it, if you wish, Dolcetto." Roa said to him, ignoring the homunculus. "You know that."

"Sure I could, and I'd get away, too." He replied, "But after all that talking, I'd sure look like a fool." He pointed the edge of his sword at Lust and Gluttony.

"Then you're at peace with this?" Roa asked.

"You're askin' me _now_?" Dolcetto replied jokingly. Lust turned her attention to the two chimeras as they began to charge.

They only took seven steps before she swiftly killed them both.

* * *

Edward and Shane turned their attention to a sight of squawking birds flying up into the air not too far from where they were at that moment.

"Well, that can't be good." Shane muttered.

"Hold on," Edward said, "That's right over Dante's house!" He looked to Shane. "You keep looking for Al and Melody, I'm going to go see what's up." Shane nodded and continued in the direction they had been going before they saw the birds.

* * *

Greed, Melody, and Al (carrying Marta) ran through the trees away from Lust and Gluttony. They finally ran to a small clearing a good ways away and stopped.

"Just us now." Greed said, turning to them, "You two are such good little hostages. You could've just fled, you know? I've been a little distracted."

"Hey, I'm just goin' where he's goin'." Melody panted, pointing her thumb at Al.

"Running away from you isn't what I'm worried about now." Al said.

"Yeah, right." Greed muttered, "Hey, listen, Marta…"

"Yeah?" Marta asked.

"Stay in this can 'till morning." Greed told her, "If I'm not back by then, you're on your own. Just make sure you have some fun, okay?"

"Greed, what are you gonna do?" Marta asked, concerned for her leader.

"Can't get into it, doll." Greed said with his classic smirk on his face, "The talking's done." He turned around and began to run away from the group.

"Ah! Wait!" Al called after him.

"Let me out, kid!" Marta commanded as she pushed Al's helmet up. "I gotta go with him!" Al pushed back down, trying to keep her inside.

"Stop! He said to keep you inside Al's armor where it's safe!" Melody said.

"_I don't care!_" Marta yelled, still trying to push out of his armor.

* * *

Greed walked over to the home of his creator, the only house in these woods for miles. Dante's.

He looked up at the gigantic mansion and smirked, "After all of this time, I'm back at the beginning of the tale." He mused to himself, "Not even sure what I came here for. Maybe I'm gonna beg that hag for my life." His smirk disappeared, "Maybe not." He shrugged and started walking towards the house, unaware of the other homunculi who were watching him.

"That's a good boy, Greed." Lust said, "It all happened exactly as we were told."

"Are we done?" Gluttony asked, his mouth stained in blood that was not his own.

"Yes." Lust answered, "I'd say we performed perfectly."

"I'm still hungry." Gluttony whined, hearing his stomach growl for more food.

* * *

Greed kicked open the doors of the mansion as he strode inside. A young girl with a stoic face came towards him, wearing a pink maid's outfit. "Where's the old lady?" Greed asked her.

"The reason you came here is simple." Lyra said, "Because these are the grounds that witnessed your creation."

"Smart girl." Greed growled. "Now, take me to the old hag."

"This way." Lyra said, turning and escorting him to another room. The room they entered was a gigantic library, you could hear the sounds of a record playing music in the room. As they ventured further into the room, Greed felt himself become weaker, suddenly finding it much more difficult to take in a breath. He held his arm around his middle as she led him to a part of the room where a skeleton lay on a table. The skull of it was missing. Greed recognized them immediately.

"Those are-!"

"Your bones, yes." Lyra said. Greed glared at the girl's back.

"Hey! Where did you get those?" He asked, growling, "And what did Dante tell you?"

"Lady Dante is over there." Lyra said, pointing. Greed looked and saw what must've been Dante, but she had been split in half, and lay there, both sides of her face-down. Greed was so amazed by the sight, he didn't notice Lyra walking away.

"What's going on here?" Greed asked, still staring at the corpse. Then he saw the ceiling alight. He squinted his eyes to see the light was coming from a transmutation circle, one where the Flamel cross was the center of the transmutation. His eyes widened in fear when he saw it. "Who are you? How could you know? How could you make that array? You're just a damn kid!" He looked back at Lyra to see a small, dark smile on her face as she watched him. Greed glared at her, then he stopped when a thought occurred to him, "Could it be…?" The light grew brighter around him, signifying that the transmutation was becoming more powerful.

* * *

Edward stood outside Dante's home, and saw the light blazing inside her home. "That's alchemy!" He murmured to himself before running and making his way into the house, wondering if Dante was using alchemy against someone.

* * *

Greed groaned trying to take steps to get out of the circle, but with his bones nearby, he found it harder and harder to move. He felt something coming up his throat and bent over as he vomited out little red stones. Again and again. He watched as they melted into little red puddles and evaporated from the transmutation.

"My life…!" Greed gasped, "That's… My life…!" He let out another wave of the stones. Lyra stood there, doing nothing as she kept the transmutation going. Now, Greed was certain. The handmaid was no longer Dante's handmaid, but Dante herself. She had transmuted her soul out of the body of the old woman and into the newer, younger body of Lyra using a philosopher's stone.

Greed slowly forced his steps out of the circle, and when he was out of the way of the transmutation, he fell to his hands and knees. Gulping in breath after breath of air. The light faded as the transmutation stopped.

Greed lifted his head to glare at Lyra/Dante "You…!" He growled, but stopped when he saw she was gone. The music had stopped playing as well. He looked around the room for her, but found no one. He slowly got up. "Damn it."

Footsteps were heard as Edward ran into the library. He stopped when he saw Greed standing there, alone. "I found you, Greed!" As Edward walked into the room, Greed silently cursed at himself for falling into a trap that Dante had obviously planned. He half-turned to Edward and smirked. Edward walked in and stopped when he saw the cut up corpse of Dante.

"What the hell!" Edward breathed, he glared at the homunculus, "Explain this, Greed! What happened here?" Greed said nothing as he pulled out his sunglasses and put them on.

"Beats me." He lied, shrugging, "I was going to ask you that, kid." Edward glared at his back.

"You did this to her, didn't you?" He asked. Greed's face was stoic as he turned to face the young alchemist. "Are you gonna answer me?"

"Blame me if you want." Greed told him, "I really don't care." Edward looked back at Dante's corpse.

"How could you?" He asked, "She was helpless!" Greed smirked.

"Tell me, Edward Elric," He started, "How could you go so far to protect your little brother?"

"And what does that have to do with anything?" Edward demanded. Greed's smirk grew.

"Feelings can be hard to explain." He said, his smirk suddenly disappearing.

"What are you talking about?" Edward asked. "What have you done with Al?"

"If you want him back, come on." Greed said, confidently putting his hands on his hips, "You know what it takes." Edward glared at him before getting in a fighting stance. Greed shed his vest as he took his real form, glasses dropping from his head.

* * *

Shane continued walking through the woods, searching for the two people he and Edward had come searching for. He heard voices and followed them.

He heard someone yell, "Let me go! I have to help!"

He heard someone else respond with a struggled, "No!" He kept following them and stopped when he saw Melody watching Al, who was wiggling and writhing, his hands on his head.

"Mel!" he called, Melody turned to him and smiled. She ran over to him and he gathered her up in his arms, holding her close, his cheek resting on the top of her head. His call had distracted Al long enough for Marta to push off his helmet and jump out of his armor. Shane stopped when he saw the woman.

"Which way?" Marta demanded, "Which way did Greed go?" Everyone was silent as Melody went and picked up Alphonse's helmet and put it back on his head. "Tell me!"

"I don't know." Alphonse told her calmly. "And even if I did know, and I told you, do you really think you could catch up to wherever he is right now? What would you do if you got there?"

"I'd _help_ him!" Marta growled.

"And what if that just made you get in his way?" Al retorted, Marta said nothing. "It's safest for you to wait here until morning, like he said." Shane pulled Melody back into his arms as she walked back to him.

"What's going on?" He asked, "Where's Greed?" Melody shrugged.

"Dunno. He just told Marta to stay with Al until morning." She said, "If he doesn't come back, she's free to go." Shane's face hardened at her explanation, wondering what the homunculus was planning to do. He quickly rid his mind of those thoughts as he cupped Melody's face in his hands.

"I'm just glad you're alright." He said before gently kissing her forehead. Melody smiled and took his hand as he turned to the friendly suit of armor, "C'mon Al. We're getting out of here."

"Not yet." Al said, "I'm going to wait here with Marta until Greed comes back." Shane blanched.

"You're kidding, right?" He asked, and groaned when Al shook his head no.

"You guys go on ahead without us." Al said, "I'll find my way back to teacher's soon." Shane looked at Melody and she nodded. He turned back to Al.

"Alright, but you'd best come back to us, okay?" Al nodded and Shane wrapped his arm around Melody and they walked away. Somewhat surprised Marta didn't try to stop them.

* * *

They went through the doors of Izumi and Sig's butchery, Winry was the first person to greet them. "Shane! Melody!" She pulled them both into a hug, "I'm so glad you're alright!" She pulled away, "Where're Ed and Al?" The couple shrugged.

"Al wants to stay behind and wait with one of Greed's little chimera henchmen." Melody said, "He wants to make sure she's alright, I guess."

"And Ed?" Winry asked. Shane shrugged.

"Something happened at Dante's house and he wanted to go and check what it was." Shane said, "There's a good chance neither of them will be back by morning." Winry nodded sullenly, "Where's Izumi?"

"Right here." Izumi said, walking in, "Are you two alright?" The couple nodded. "Good. You two should get to bed, it's late, and you need your rest."

"Yes ma'am." Shane said, walking him and Melody to the rooms they had been given. Winry didn't move, she looked out the window at the pitch-dark town with concern written across every part of her face.

"They're going to be alright," Izumi assured her.

"How do you know?" Winry asked her, Izumi gave a small smirk.

"They're my apprentices." She said, "If anything, I know that they're tough enough to make it through anything. Now," She placed her hand on Winry's shoulder, "Get some rest."

"Alright…" Winry sighed, following the path Shane and Melody had taken moments ago.

* * *

Winry opened her door and was surprised to see Melody wasn't in her bed. She looked across the hall and cracked open the door to the boy's room and saw Shane sleeping with Melody in his arms. They hadn't bothered to change out of their clothes, and their shoes lay on the floor in front of the bed. She smiled softly and shut the door again, deciding to leave them be.

* * *

Melody, Shane, Al, Ed, and Izumi stood in front of the two graves they had made. One was for Greed, who Ed had killed in battle after figuring out the weakness of his 'Ultimate Shield,' the other for Dante, who Edward said was killed by Greed. Greed had melted into a red puddle when he died, so there was only a grave marker for him. According to Al, Marta left as soon as the morning rays had come into view. He didn't know where she had gone.

"What did she tell you?" Izumi asked as she looked at the two graves.

"Nothing, it was over when I got there." Edward told her, "Lyra's gone, too. I don't know where she went." Melody looked over at Edward, knowing the pain one could experience by causing another's death.

"So… What now?" Shane asked. Edward looked over at him.

"We keep moving forward." Edward told him.

* * *

Shane sat on his bed and watched as the two Elrics as they packed their things, "So, you're going to keep looking for Scar?" Shane asked them.

"Yeah, it was what we were gonna do in the first place." Edward said, he turned to look at his foreign friend. "Why? You have something else in mind?" Shane shrugged.

"It's just… I've been thinkin'…" Shane muttered, "Things have sorta… gotten a little insane lately…" He looked up at him, "I'm thinkin' of takin' Mel back to Central and keep her safe. At least, until we figure out a way back home." The two brothers shared a glance before looking back to Shane. "Mel thought this was best, too. She said she could use some R n' R."

"That's probably a good idea." Edward told him, "We don't want any people getting hurt because of us." Shane nodded.

* * *

Edward, Alphonse, and Winry faced Sig, Izumi, Melody, and Shane. The Elrics were saying their goodbyes.

"I'm not sure what to say, teacher," Edward said, "Except, I'm sorry for all this… We'll look for the Ishballans now."

"If we stayed here, we'd only bring more trouble." Al said.

"There's a chance the military will come looking for you, after all that's happened." Edward told Izumi, "You should stay hidden for a while."

"Spare me, Ed." Izumi said, "If you guys start worrying about me, it really is the end of the world. Your goal is still the same, then?"

"Yes." Al answered, not looking at her.

"We've gone through way too much not to make it worth something now." Edward said, "We'll keep on moving until we get our bodies back." Izumi looked down at her former student.

"We'll meet again." She told him. Ed nodded.

"I hope." He said, he turned to Shane and Melody, "Make sure you guys get to Central safely." They nodded.

"You keep yourselves safe." Melody said, Ed's eyes widened and he stared at her. Al and Winry did the same, "What?" Melody blinked and tears fell out of her eyes. She kept blinking in confusion as she wiped them away, "Oh… Sorry… I… Ah…" She sniffled and everyone watched her, "Sorry, I… I can't seem to stop crying…" She looked at the brothers. "I guess… It's just… This feeling I have that we're not going to see each other again." Edward smiled softly at her.

"Do you think of all goodbyes like that?" He asked jokingly, Melody shook her head and wiped her tears on her arm. "We will see each other again, Melody. I promise." Melody smiled softly and held out her pinky. Edward looked at her confusedly.

"Secret shake on it." She told him, Edward smiled as he stuck out his pinky and intertwined it with hers. She led him through the steps as they shook, telling him what he should do as they switched to a handshake, reached up to tap their foreheads twice, then go back to a handshake, and then intertwining their pinkies again. "Now, you secret shook on it, no going back!" Melody said as she pulled her hand away. Edward smiled.

"No going back." He said.

He, Al, and Winry then left. Heading down the path that would lead them to the Ishballan refugee camp where Scar was hiding out. Melody and Shane bid their goodbyes to Sig and Izumi as they boarded the train headed for Central.

* * *

**YAYNESS! Chapter 26! I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry if any of you waited too long for this! It's just that it's summertime, and I'm doing a little vacation and family-lovin' stuff, and I'm just really, really, REALLY lazy.**

**I STILL can't believe that I'm almost done. ****It's kind of sad, almost. I know the next chapter will be the last. Don't expect it to come out really quick.**

**-Chibimaker**

**Reviews make me happy! **


	27. Chapter 27

**TADAHHH! The final chapter! I do not own FMA.**

27

Melody and Shane got off the train and looked around the station, Melody couldn't help laughing as a small thought came to her. "What's so funny?" Shane asked, coming up behind her.

"I was just thinking…" Melody said. "The last time I came to Central, we ran into you." Shane quirked an eyebrow at her words, "It seems like forever ago, doesn't it?" Shane shrugged.

"I suppose." He said, "Come on. We better find a place to stay." He began walking out of the station.

"Oh, yeah." Melody quickly followed after him.

* * *

Melody frowned at the prices of yet another hotel, they wouldn't be able to stay in one for too long, even if they both got a job. "This hotel-hopping crap is really starting to get to me." Melody grumbled.

"Same here." Shane sighed, he looked down at Melody, "Got any better ideas?"

"Not really." Melody said. "We should keep looking, there has got to be at least _one_ good hotel in Central!"

"Miss Melody?" A voice questioned, the two teens looked to see Lieutenant Ross staring at them.

"Hey Lieutenant!" Melody greeted, "Long time, no see!"

"What are you two doing out here?" Ross asked, "I thought you were with the Elric brothers and their teacher?"

"Well, we were." Shane said, "But then they told us to head home, giving us the excuse of saying that 'alchemy's too complicated for us' or something like that." Ross blinked.

"I see…" She mused, "What are you doing back in Central, then?" The two teens shrugged.

"Not like we have anywhere else to go." Melody said, "We figured we'd come back to Central for some much needed rest."

"Oh, well, where are you staying?" Ross asked.

"No clue, we're hotel-hopping right now." Shane said, "We haven't got a whole lot of money left, so we're trying to find somewhere cheap to stay. Any suggestions?"

"Well, where did you stay when you were here last time?" Ross asked.

"We stayed with the Hughes' but I really don't want to bug them with that again." Melody told her. Ross nodded with a solemn expression on her face.

"They could use the least amount of trouble after what happened." She said, Melody and Shane gave her confused looks.

"Why? What happened?" Shane asked, Ross looked up at them, surprised. She realized that the two of them didn't know and clasped her hands over her mouth, regretting her words. The teen's expressions went from confused to worried, "Lieutenant, what happened?" Shane asked more seriously than before. Ross lowered her hands from her mouth.

"It's just… Brigadier General Hughes…" She started.

"When was he promoted to Brigadier General?" Melody asked.

"After he died, he went up two ranks." Ross said, Melody froze. "He died in the line of duty, and I guess that was the reward for it."

"Hughes is… dead?" Shane asked, Ross nodded sadly, "H-How? Why?"

"He was murdered, by whom we don't know." Ross said, "The investigation has been put on hold."

"When did he die…?" Melody asked her voice barely audible as she felt tears well up in her eyes and cloud her vision.

"I believe… he was found dead the morning after you had left." Ross said, Melody's tears rolled down her cheeks as a sob escaped her throat. She put her hands over her mouth to try to stop herself, her whole body shaking.

Hughes… Maes Hughes, a man who had treated her like his own. He was dead. _Dead. _The word stung, it felt as though someone had stuck a knife in her ribs and twisted it. Now, Melody had lost two fathers. One who was her real father and the other she had come to love as one. She felt Shane's arm on her shoulders and pull her to him, she grabbed onto his shirt and cried into his chest. His arms held her steady, and she was very thankful for that because it felt as though she would collapse at any moment.

Shane looked down at her and held her tighter. He felt tears of his own prick at his eyes, but quickly blinked them away. Right now, Melody didn't need the shock-struck Shane, she needed the strong Shane, the same Shane that had been there for her when her father had died. Melody pushed him back as she took in deep breaths to calm herself, blinking away any oncoming tears, and wiping away the rest. She looked over at Ross.

"Do you know where his grave is?" She asked.

* * *

Melody and Shane stood in front of a grave that read,

Maes Hughes

Soldier

Husband

Father

Melody took in a deep breath as she looked at the grave, "I think I'm cursed." She said quietly. Shane looked over at her, confused, "When I was twelve, I lost my real dad. Now, four years later, I found someone who was like him in so many ways, I even told Hughes that he had been a second father to me when we left the station. Now he's dead."

"Mel…" Shane murmured quietly, Melody sniffled as more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I think I'm cursed to lose every father I get, blood related or not." She said with a bitter smile. Shane placed his hand on her shoulder, but stopped when he heard a voice.

"Melody Kilgore?" The voice asked, Shane turned around to see a handsome man who looked to be about twenty-five with black hair, dark eyes, and a military uniform. Melody looked over at him, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Colonel Mustang." She said, recognizing him, "I didn't know you were stationed in Central."

"Only recently." He replied, he looked to Shane, "And you are?"

"Shane Trublood." He replied, "You know Melody?" Mustang nodded.

"Yes, we met shortly after she had saved the Elrics." He said, "We haven't seen each other since then." He looked over at Hughes' grave, "What are you doing here?"

"Paying our respects." Melody said, "Hughes was- no, he _is_ a great guy. Always will be." Mustang nodded.

"I couldn't agree more." He said, "Hughes was one of the greatest soldiers I ever met, and a dear friend." He looked to the grave, then back to the two teens, "When did you get back in Central?"

"Today." Melody said, "A few hours ago, actually."

_So she only just found out_, Mustang thought. "We didn't receive any word from the Elrics about coming back to Central."

"They didn't come with us." Shane said, "We came here by ourselves. We figured that the Hughes' home might be a good place to get some rest, but…" Shane trailed off, glancing at the grave.

"We don't want to be any trouble to them." Melody finished. Mustang looked between the two teenagers and sighed.

"Let me buy you lunch." He said.

* * *

Melody pierced through a piece of fish meat and placed it in her mouth. She, Shane, and Roy ate in silence. She knew _of_ the Colonel (Since Ed complained about him a lot), but she didn't know him personally. She didn't know what to say, she had only met him the one time at the hospital, she hung out in his office for about a half hour before she left with Ed, Al, and Armstrong, and he hadn't even been there. Shane didn't know the Colonel at all, he didn't know what to say except the, ever so awkward, conversation starter about the weather, and that was just plain lame.

Mustang looked at the two teens, he instantly noticed they were holding hands under the table. So they were a couple. He looked out to the other groups of people at the restaurant.

He had taken them to a café where he had taken uncountable dates to. It was a simple place with a quaint indoors with mahogany tabletops and wooden chairs with green cushions sewn into the seat's bottom. The carpets were of the same color and covered the floor of the restaurant. They had a patio, where they were now, surrounded by white tables with yellow and white striped parasols screwed into the center of every other table. The seats were simple, white wooden chairs. Since it was sunny out, their host had seated them outside.

Roy looked between the two and decided that idle conversation wasn't much of an option. The only things he knew about these two kids was that they were both from a different world, they were a couple, and nothing more.

"I can understand how a man can appreciate a quiet meal," Mustang said, "But there's a reason I wanted to take the both of you out for lunch." Melody and Shane looked up at him.

"Okay, what is it?" Melody asked.

"Why did you come back to Central?" Mustang asked, "And I want the truth." The couple shared a glance before looking back at him.

"We're just tired of this whole alchemy business." Melody said, "I mean, after what happened with Ed's teacher, and that whole thing with Archer," Mustang's ears pricked at the name, "We decided to come back to Central, just to relax a bit before we went home."

"What happened with Lieutenant Colonel Archer?" Mustang asked, Melody's eyes widened, as if wondering as to whether or not she should have said that.

"He… sort of…" Melody couldn't think of a good excuse, "He… went after these people he thought were homunculi after they kidnapped me and Alphonse." Mustang's eyebrows rose. "And he teamed up with this one guy… What was his name?" She looked to Shane.

"Kimbley." He said, he looked to the colonel, "Ever heard of him?"

"Kimbley? Yeah, I know him." Mustang said, "He uses alchemy to make explosions."

"That's the guy." Shane said, "How do you know him?" Mustang waved it off.

"Doesn't matter, what happened?" He asked them, the two teens shared a glance before they both shrugged.

"We were up against a homunculus." Melody said, "Two, in fact. One of them is dead now."

"Yeah, Ed killed him." Shane said, "We don't know what happened to the other one after he escaped."

"Escaped from where?" Mustang asked.

"Southern headquarters." Melody answered, "Which reminds me, may I ask you something, sir?"

"Of course."

"Who runs the military, exactly?" Melody asked, "What's his title?"

"Fuehrer King Bradley runs the military." Mustang said, "Why?"

"We met up with him." Shane said, "Fierce fighter, that one."

"When?" Mustang asked.

"When we went to Southern Headquarters." Melody said, "He showed up and tried to calm everything down."

"But the fuehrer's been in Central for as long as I've been here!" Mustang said, "And last I checked, he never went to Southern Headquarters."

"Well, we saw him." Melody said, "Unless there's another guy in the military with an eye patch and carries around a sword." Mustang's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

After a moment he asked, "What else happened?"

"Let's see…" Shane started, "Southern Headquarters… Kidnapping… Well, other than that, we met Edward's teacher."

"Is that all?" Mustang asked.

"Pretty much." Melody said. Mustang looked at the two with an expression neither could recognize before he sighed and rested his elbows on the table.

"And that's the truth?" He asked them, Melody and Shane shared a glance. They knew they hadn't told him everything, but it was all he needed to know.

"Yes, sir." Shane said, nodding. Mustang seemed to buy it as he nodded in return.

"And what do you plan to do while you're in Central?" Mustang asked.

Melody shrugged, "I guess the only thing we can do: figure out how we get home."

"Will the Central library let civilians read some of their books?" Shane asked the colonel, who shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid it's only state alchemists and military personnel that are allowed." He said, Shane's shoulders slumped and Melody sighed.

"Oh." They said at the same time, they shared a glance and Melody quickly said, "Jinx! You owe me a soda!" Shane groaned and shoved her shoulder gently. She smiled to herself, while the colonel only looked confused, "It's a game, sir." He nodded unsurely.

"Right…" He mumbled as he took a sip of his drink. "Now, about the library. I could get you in, but there's no guarantee you'll find what you're looking for."

Shane shrugged, "Worth a shot." He said. Mustang nodded.

"Well, if you're going to use my permission," He said, "Then I need to keep an eye on you. Where are you staying?"

"Um, we're… Working on it…" Melody said, glancing at Shane. Mustang's eyebrows rose.

"You don't have a place to stay?" He asked, they both shook their heads.

"We were originally planning on staying with the Hughes' but…" Melody said, "That was before we found out Mr. Hughes was dead."

"We don't want to be any trouble." Shane said, carefully putting his hand on top of Melody's. "Death is a hard thing to cope with." Melody squeezed his hand gently and he squeezed back. Mustang nodded in understanding.

"Well, I have some extra room at my apartment." He said, "I'm sure I could accommodate the both of you for as long as you're here." Melody's eyes widened.

"You would do that?" She asked, Mustang nodded.

"Of course, you're not just friends of the Elrics, you're friends of the state." He said, "And therefore, friends of mine." He smiled at them, and they both smiled back.

* * *

Melody was taken into a small room with a single twin bed covered in white sheets. The room was empty other than that bed, a small dresser, and a window that showed the street below. "This is the guest room." Mustang said, "Put any clothes you have in the dresser. No, I don't have any curtains for the windows, and don't break anything." He turned to leave but stopped, "Oh, and the bed was made for one person, so I expect only _one_ person to sleep in it." Melody gasped dramatically and placed her hand over her chest.

"Why Colonel!" She breathed, "I didn't know an officer would _dare_ think such thoughts!" Shane snorted, stifling a laugh. Mustang gave her a mock scowl.

"We're soldiers, Melody, we think a lot more thoughts than you realize." He said, playing along. Melody laughed.

"I know, I was just teasing." She said as she walked into the room, sitting down on the bed.

"And Mr. Trublood, I'm afraid you'll have to sleep on the couch." He said, Shane nodded and looked over at the grey, worn-out-looking couch.

"Fine by me." He said, shrugging nonchalantly. He walked over to the couch and sat down. Mustang walked over to a nearby closet and pulled out a blanket from the shelf above the jackets hanging inside it. He threw the blanket at Shane, who caught it easily. He placed it down next to him and Melody walked into the room they were in. She surveyed his apartment, which was a simple two-bed, one bath. All of the flooring was wooden, with some carpets laid in the hallways that led to the two bedrooms and the bathroom. The kitchen was right next to the living room, with a few cabinets and an oven. The living room had a grey couch behind a long coffee table with a glass top. And on the counter of the kitchen was a black telephone.

"I've got a couple errands to run, so it might be a bit before I can get you into the library." Mustang said.

"It's fine, colonel." Melody said, "It gives us more time to relax after that train ride over here." Mustang nodded.

"I should be back in about two hours." He said as he walked to the door, "Stay put, don't break anything, and if you can, try not to go too far. You have no idea how long it takes for the smell of sex to leave this apartment." The two teenagers blushed vibrant shades of red.

"_Colonel!_" Melody squealed, Mustang smirked playfully at them and shut the door. The two teens looked at each other and quickly looked away, still blushing.

After and awkward moment of silence, Shane stuttered out, "Mel, you know I wouldn't… I mean, if you didn't want to, I wouldn't make you, or-"

"I know, I know." Melody quickly said, "Could we just… not talk about it?" Shane nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, yeah! I mean, um… Yeah. No, we, uh, w-we don't have to talk about it." He said, leaning back on the couch. The silence became awkward once more between the two of them. "Uh… So… What should we do now?"

"I don't know." Melody shrugged, after another moment of silence she said, "Maybe we should think about what we should look for when we get to the library." Shane nodded in agreement and patted the spot beside him. Melody sat down and leaned back against the couch, "What kind of alchemy books should we be looking for? Maybe transportation alchemy?"

"How about the basics?" Shane suggested, "We don't know the first thing about alchemy, and we definitely don't know how to perform it. We have no idea what may or may not work."

"Oh… Right, I knew that." Melody said, Shane smirked when he saw her reddening cheeks. "So we find the 'Alchemy for Idiots' book, _then_ we start looking for other stuff."

"Right," Shane agreed, "Like… Maybe alchemic myths? If we find the right myth, we might be able to figure it out." Melody looked up at him.

"You think so?"

"I don't see why not. Isn't the philosopher's stone supposed to be a myth?"

"But it's not!"

"Exactly. Who knows what other myths might be true?"

"Good point." Melody was silent for a moment before quietly asking, "What do you think everybody's doing right now?"

"Well, we know that Mustang's running an errand. Knowing Ed, he's probably trying to kill someone for sayin' he's short…"

* * *

Edward stopped walking down the path he, Al, and Winry had taken. He had the strangest feeling he heard someone call him short. With an infuriated rage, he threw his head back and shouted at the heavens, "WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE COULD RIDE A GRASSHOPPER?" Al and Winry looked back to the angry Edward as he stood there, taking deep breaths.

"Brother…" Al began gently, "Nobody said anything…" Edward became embarrassed.

"Uh, never mind…" He muttered as he trudged past them.

* * *

"…And knowing Al, he's probably trying to stop him-" Shane continued.

"No, I mean," Melody said, "Everybody back home." Shane looked down at his girlfriend to see her eyes were downcast and she was staring at her hands in her lap, her face blank. Shane wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, she snuggled into his side and rested her head on his chest and he rested his head on hers.

"I don't know." Shane replied quietly. Melody sighed and wrapped her arms around Shane's middle.

"Take a guess." She suggested. Shane was silent for a moment.

"Your brother is probably in school right now." He thought aloud, "My parents are probably calling a world-wide search party if they haven't already. Your mom is probably working. Andrew and Andrea are probably acing some big, fancy college test for Harvard." Melody smiled, "And… I bet they're all worried sick about us." Melody closed her eyes.

"I know they are." She said. Shane held her closer and they remained that way, speaking in murmurs and occasionally kissing. When Mustang came back, he opened the door, and the two teens jumped apart. He smirked at them and his face caused them to blush, knowing what he was thinking.

"Have fun?" He asked them playfully, their blushes deepened.

"We didn't do anything!" Melody told him, Mustang waved it off.

"I know, I know." He said, "Come on, the library's waiting." They both got off the couch and followed the Colonel outside.

"So, Colonel." Shane began, "What errands were you doing?" Mustang started and made a surprised, cough-like sound into his glove.

"That's classified information." He told them, the two teens raised an eyebrow at him before sharing a glance.

"You know, Colonel, Ed's told us a lot about you." She said.

"Oh really?"

"Yep, normally he just complains about you." Mustang smirked, "But then he told us about the rumors about you." He looked over at the brunette.

"Rumors?"

"Yeah, like the fact that you hate paperwork," Mustang huffed out a breath, knowing it was true, "You're lazy," Also true, "You've got a thing for women," Mustang smirked, that was _very_ true, "And how you've got a secret thing going on with your lieutenant." Mustang stopped and stared at the sly smirk on the teenage girl's face.

"Well, there certainly are some strange rumors about me, aren't there?" He asked, trying to cover his tracks. Melody's smirk fell slightly. "Good thing they're just rumors." The smirk was gone and she looked ahead of her.

"Yeah, I guess so." She mumbled. Mustang smirked victoriously as he kept walking. She looked at Shane sideways and he smiled at her, she smiled back and kept following the colonel.

* * *

"I don't get it." Melody said, staring at the alchemy book. Shane sighed.

"Okay, look, the circle represents the flow of energy in the transmutation-"

"No, I got that, I just don't get how it works." Melody said, "Why can't I look at the other books?"

"I thought we agreed we'd get the little stuff before we started on the other stuff!" Shane said exhaustedly.

"Yeah, but I didn't know it'd be this hard!" Melody whined. Shane let out a huff of air and smacked his head down on the table. Mustang rolled his eyes. Melody and Shane had been at the library just a little under an hour, insisting on the beginner's alchemy books. He understood their reasoning and got the books for them, as well as a few others he thought might be helpful to them. He was getting tired of hearing Melody complain, apparently, a science of any kind was not her strong suit. "I'd understand quantum physics mixed with calculus better than I understand alchemy!"

"You suck at science." Shane said from his place on the table.

"What was your first guess?" Melody asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Shane turned his head against the table and glared at her, she stuck out her tongue. Shane sat back up and took the book from her.

"Fine, I'll understand the alchemy, you find something that can help us." He said, going back to his own alchemy book. Melody stood up and glared at him.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Good."

"Good." She walked off to find another book, looking back at him for a moment. She walked over to a random shelf and looked through book title after book title. She found one that contained a little bit on teleportation theories so she decided that one would be of use. She pulled it out, but kept looking for other books. She heard footsteps and looked to see Mustang standing to the side of her.

"You know, you are nothing like I'd thought you'd be." He said, Melody looked over at him.

"Things are not always as they appear, Colonel." She said. Mustang's lips turned upward in a smile.

"I know." He said, "I've had plenty of experiences where that piece of knowledge comes in handy." He said, walking closer to her.

"Because you're a colonel? Or because you've met a couple he-she's?" She laughed a little at the Colonel's grimace.

"Yes to the first, no to the second. Thankfully." Melody laughed again, "I just thought you would be more… different." Melody looked up at him, a surprised sort of smile on her face.

"Where have you been the past few weeks?" She asked, "I _am_ different." She turned back to the bookshelf, "Because my world is without alchemy, we've made gigantic advances in technology in comparison to your world."

"Oh really?" Mustang asked, "Like what?"

"Well, we have mobile phones, for one thing." She said, "We have airplanes, which are big, metal hunks that can fly using air propulsion, I think. We have cars that run on electricity, or water, or solar power. We've already been to the moon and back. Our guns are probably better than yours. And we have mobile music players that fit in the palm of your hand." Mustang's eyebrows went up.

"Those are some big advancements." He said, Melody nodded, pulling out another book.

"Yup." She said, "In comparison to my world, it's like yours is stuck in the 1900's or something." She looked to see the colonel's confused face.

"But it is the 1900's." He said, "It's 1915 right now." Now Melody was the confused one. "What year is it in your world?"

"2010..." Melody murmured. The two stared at each other for a moment, "That explains some things, I guess…"

"Yes, it does." Mustang said, "You were on the same time level as us."

"Not exactly." Melody said, "In our time, airplanes had already been invented at this point." She smiled, "I guess we're still more technologically advanced than you."

"Yes, well, alchemy _is_ a very important science." Mustang said.

"So I see." Melody said, "Well, enough talk about sciences I don't understand. Help me find a book on alchemy mixing with teleportation and/or different worlds?"

"Sure." Mustang said, turning to the bookcase. He found a few and Melody found one more and brought them over to Shane. He looked over them, and Melody skimmed a few pages, looking for something that could help. The colonel sat across from them, almost falling asleep from the boredom he was experiencing. He woke up when a voice that wasn't either teenager's spoke up.

"Marianne?"

They looked up to see a skinny, redheaded man with brown eyes in a military uniform looking at them. Specifically, Melody.

"Pardon?" Melody asked him.

"That is you, isn't it, Marianne?" He asked carefully, taking a step forward, "It's me, Joseph. Remember?" He took another step forward and Shane stood up, blocking his path to her.

"Hold it, buddy." He growled, the man smiled at him.

"Harold! You're here as well!" He beamed, he moved to hug him, but Shane stepped back. Mustang stood from his seat.

"State your name, soldier." He commanded in his best I-am-your-superior-officer-so-you-better-do-what-I-say voice. The man stood at attention.

"Second Lieutenant Joseph Bourgeois, sir." He said, saluting the colonel.

"As you were." Mustang said, "What is your business with these two, Lieutenant?"

"They're friends of mine, sir." He said, "Harold Richardson and Marianne Steels."

"No, our names are Shane Trublood and Melody Kilgore." Melody said, "You must have us confused with someone else."

"I'm certain it's you!" He said, "Either that, or you're their doppelgangers. You look just like them!" Melody shrugged, unable to offer a good answer. "It has to be you! I did all I could to get you back!" This made all of them freeze. Mustang walked up to him.

"Soldier, am I to understand you attempted to perform human transmutation?" He asked seriously, Joseph Bourgeois quickly shook his head.

"No, sir. Never." He said, "But I did look into how a soul could be pulled back. I created bodies that looked like them with alchemy and attempted to call them back, but it didn't do anything other than ruin the dummies I had made." He looked over at Shane and Melody, "But now I know they just disappeared! Because the people I wanted to bring back are standing right in front of me!" The group exchanged uneasy looks, "You have to remember me! Maybe memory loss was just a side effect of you being pulled out. I can get it back for you!" Shane shook his head.

"We don't know you." He said, "Sorry."

"You mean your own names don't sound familiar to you?"

"Well," Melody spoke up, "Originally, my mom was going to name me Mary. But I was named after my great-great-grandma instead."

"Marianne, you must remember me in some way!" Joseph continued, "I mean, I was your first, for God's sake!" Melody blushed a fiery red.

"Okay, now you're going too far." Shane growled, stepping back and grabbing Melody's hand. "Melody's a virgin, and she'll stay that way until she says otherwise." The soldier stood, as if dumbfounded by their behavior.

"This can't be right…" He mumbled to himself, "You shouldn't be acting like this…" he looked back at the two teens, "If you could just give me a second to give you back your memories-"

"Soldier!" Mustang said, making him stop, "I think you've done enough." He looked back at Mustang, "Return to your post. These children are not who you think they are. Accept it, and move on."

"But…" He looked back at Shane, who glared, then at Melody, who shrunk back behind Shane. He sighed, "Yes, sir." He turned to leave the library, when a thought occurred to Melody.

"Wait!" She called, he turned back around with a hopeful look on his face. "How did you… transmute the fake bodies, exactly? I mean, what circle did you use?"

"Oh, all different kinds." He replied, "I wanted to make sure I transmuted every part of your bodies for your souls to take on as their own." Shane and Melody shared a glance, remembering the circles that had surrounded whatever room they were in before they were transported to Amestris. "Why?" Mustang looked over at the two, curious as to why she asked him that as well.

"Do you think… it's possible for you to do that, only in reverse?" She asked him, "I mean, that's… sort of how we got here." His face fell.

"No, I'm sorry." He said, "I don't think I can." Melody's shoulders slumped.

"Oh, okay. Thanks for letting me know." She said. He walked away and Melody leaned on Shane's back. He brought his arm around her and they went to sit down.

* * *

Melody stretched her arms wide as she yawned, "I'm so _tired_!" She said. Shane huffed out some air.

"Me too." He said, "All that research… and it didn't do us much good."

"I wouldn't say that." Melody said, "That one guy kind of helped us."

"Yeah, by making us come here." Shane retorted angrily, "I swear, that moron's more crooked than my Aunt Jolene's teeth." Melody shuddered, remembering Shane's bucktooth auntie.

"She creeps me out." Melody said, Shane grimaced.

"I don't blame you." He muttered. They walked up to the door to Mustang's apartment and waited as he put the key in. They walked inside and Mustang glanced at the clock, 9:52 PM.

"I'd say it's about time for bed." He said, turning to them, "I have to go to the office tomorrow, so I can't get you into the library until the day after."

"That's okay." Melody said, "I think we could use the rest." Shane nodded in agreement.

"Alright." Mustang said, "If you need me for anything, make it wait until morning." He walked down the hallway to his bedroom, giving a half-hearted wave. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Colonel." Melody said.

"'Night." Shane called. They heard his door shut and looked at each other. "Um, goodnight, Mel."

"Goodnight." Melody said, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. As she pulled away, Shane caught her wrist and pulled her back, gently placing his hand on her cheek as he kissed her lips softly. She kissed back and wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms wrapped around her waist and held her close. He began trailing kisses across her jaw, down her neck, and at her shoulder. Melody wouldn't have been able to stand had Shane not been holding her up. Her breathing became ragged, and every time he heard it, Shane got even more excited.

He went back to her lips and heard her sigh. His hands traveled across her back, and his left hand kept going lower until it rested atop the back of her pants. He gave a small squeeze and heard her surprised squeal. In return, Melody's hands moved to the hem of his shirt and began to move her hands against his chest and stomach. He gave a small growl in pleasure. He put his own hands underneath her shirt, tracing spiral designs on her back. She gasped again and they pulled each other closer.

It was when Melody felt Shane's fingers playing with her bra strap that she pulled away. She took her hands out from his shirt and he groaned at the loss. "Five more minutes?" He asked. Melody smirked and shook her head.

"Sorry." She said, she stood up on her toes and pecked his lips, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Shane said before kissing her forehead. She pulled away, smiling, and walked to the guest room Mustang had given her.

* * *

Joseph Bourgeois scribbled furiously as he started drawing the transmutation circle for the transmutation of the proteins in human flesh. _If I can bring back your doppelgangers, _he thought, _I can bring back your souls._

* * *

Melody stared boredly at her plate as she picked at the food with her fork. By some miracle, Mustang had made them a breakfast to surprise them. Though, they weren't sure if it was a bad surprise or a good surprise. The eggs were runny, the bacon was burned, and the toast was half done and soaked in butter.

Mustang had left a little while before she woke up, so it was meant to be a surprise for when _they_ woke up. Shane insisted that they could just throw out the breakfast and tell Mustang they ate it, but Melody said the colonel wasn't an idiot, and he would notice the remnants of their breakfast in the garbage (and she would feel bad if she did). Shane said they could use his neighbor's garbage, but Melody said that they would notice and Mustang would get blamed for it. Shane relented saying, "Fine, eat the cruddy breakfast. But don't come crying to me when you get indigestion."

She ate her half first, coming close to feeling sick. Now, she was eating Shane's half, and Shane noticed she was starting to look a little green. He felt bad about making her eat his half, so he took it and stuffed it down his throat. The colonel was a terrible cook.

He almost puked when he was done. Melody found some medicine for upset stomachs; she figured it was the Amestrian equivalent of Alka-Seltzer. They sat on the couch as they did before, Melody resting against Shane's chest, Shane's arm around her shoulder.

"Did you think of anything that could help?" Melody asked him, referring to their trip to the library yesterday.

"Possibly." Shane answered, "But there's no guarantee on that…"

"Oh…" Melody sighed. They were silent before a thought suddenly occurred to Melody, "Omigosh!" She jumped up from her seat and turned to Shane, "We should go see the Hughes'!" Shane looked at her like she was crazy.

"What?"

"We should go see the Hughes'!" Melody repeated, "I forgot about little Elysia. I promised her that when I came back, I would play with her, remember?" Shane scratched his head. "We should go!"

"But, what about Mr. Hughes?" Shane questioned.

"That's why we should go!" Melody said, "Elysia's dad is gone. When my dad died, at least I had my little brother. Elysia's an only child! She needs a playmate!"

"Oh." Shane murmured, understanding her intentions. He stood up, "What about Mustang?"

"We'll leave a note." Melody said, rushing over to the kitchen and pulling out a spiral notepad and a pen. "We'll tell him where we're going…" She said as she scribbled down a message, "And that we'll be back… And that he shouldn't worry…" She signed the note with a smiley face, "Done! Let's go!" Shane followed after her and shut the door behind her. Leaving the note she made on the counter next to the phone.

* * *

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Gracia grabbed a dishrag to dry off her hands from the soapy water in the sink. "Elysia, could you get that for me?" She called. Elysia nodded and got up from her place on the living room floor where she had been coloring. When she opened the door, she squealed in delight.

"Melody! Shane!"

"Hey, Elysia!" Melody cooed. Gracia looked in surprise to see Melody had picked up little Elysia and Shane was patting her head.

"How're you doin' kiddo?" Shane asked.

"I'm great!" Elysia said, hugging Melody, "Did you come to play?"

"I did!" Melody replied, she looked up and saw Gracia coming towards them, "Hi Mrs. Hughes. I hope you don't mind the surprise visit."

"Not at all." She said, "What brings you by?"

"I promised Elyisa I would play with her when I got back." Melody said, bouncing the girl a little as she said it. Gracia nodded, giving her permission. Melody's smile widened and she turned to Elysia, "Alright, Elysia! Let's go play!" Elysia let out a cry of delight as she was carried outside by Melody. Shane stayed by Mrs. Hughes and smiled as Elysia started talking animatedly to her when she put her down.

"We didn't think you would come back so soon." Gracia said, "What about the Elrics?" Shane shrugged.

"Kept on going their own way." He said, "We got tired of the stuff they do, so we decided to come back to Central. Find our own way back."

"I see." Gracia murmured, watching as Melody and Elysia began a game of tag, Melody purposefully running slower than Elysia so she could be caught by her. "When did you get back?"

"Yesterday." Shane answered.

"Yesterday?" Gracia questioned, looking over at the dark-haired teen. He nodded once in confirmation, "Then, you must've heard about Maes…"

"We did." Shane said solemnly, "Mel took it pretty hard." He paused for a moment before saying, "We didn't come directly here, because we didn't want to cause you any trouble if we stayed."

"Oh, no trouble." Gracia quickly wove off, "Actually, it would've been wonderful if you stayed here." She gazed out at Elysia, who squealed when Melody caught her and swung her up in her arms. Shane looked over at her confusedly, "Elysia's been a little lonely lately. Sheska's come by every once in a while to play with her, but still… She could use some more playmates." Shane's gaze softened and he looked back out at the two girls.

"I'm sorry." He murmured, now Gracia looked to him confusedly, "We just… We found the colonel before we came here… He offered us some room at his place, and since he's a military officer, we got to get into the Central library, no problem." Gracia nodded.

"You're trying to find your way home, right?" She asked, Shane nodded.

"Yes, and we're close." He said, he ran his hand through his dark locks, "_God_, we're so close. We found the reason we came here yesterday, all we have to do is reverse it and we should be able to get home. The answer's right on the tip of my tongue, and I _still_ have no clue what it is." He sighed, "Melody can't understand alchemy like I can, so I'm the one doing all the calculations, but…" He let his hand fall to his side, "I'm just not sure." He looked to see Elysia and Melody had fallen to the ground, pointing out the fluffy clouds and what they looked like. Melody's body and Elysia's body facing opposite directions.

"But you'll keep trying?" Gracia asked, Shane nodded, a determined look on his face.

"I'm not gonna give up. Ever." He said firmly.

* * *

"I see… a bunny." Melody said, looking up at the oddly shaped cloud.

"It's a duck!" Elysia corrected, Melody looked over at her.

"A duck?" Melody asked, she tilted her head to the side, "Are you sure we're looking at the same cloud?"

"It's the one next to the one that looks like a bear." Elysia explained, Melody tilted her head so she was looking at it from Elysia's point of view.

"Oh, _now_ I see it." She said, shifting back into her original position. "I can't see the bear when I look at it upside-down."

"I like bears." Elysia said, Melody looked over at her. "They're soft and fuzzy and cute. Daddy liked them, too." Melody flipped over onto her stomach and looked at Elysia, "Daddy always got me a teddy bear for my birthday. They were always as big as me." Melody looked down at the little girl sadly, "Mommy said Daddy's not coming home anymore. So I guess I won't get anymore teddy bears." Melody sat up and pulled Elysia into her lap, hugging her.

"My daddy's gone, too." She said, Elysia looked up to see Melody's sad smile, "And… it's sad that I can't see him anymore, but then I know that he's in a better place." She leaned close to Elysia, "Want to know a secret?" She whispered, Elysia nodded her head vigorously, "Your daddy's there with my daddy. And I bet they're best friends." She pulled back, "Just like you and me." Elysia shook her head.

"You're not my best friend." She said, Melody lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh? Then what am I?"

"You're my big sissy!" Elysia said, hugging Melody around her neck. Melody's eyes widened and she returned the hug.

"Right, I'm your big sissy." She said, she got Elysia out of her lap and sat her in front of her, "And do you know what that means?"

"Uh-uh." Elysia said, shaking her head no.

"That means you're my little sissy, and sissies stay best friends forever." Melody said, smiling. Elysia smiled bigger and squealed in joy. They heard footsteps and looked to see Shane and Gracia watching them from the door. Shane had stepped out and was walking towards them. "Hey, Shane."

Elysia smiled up at him, "Hi Shane!" He smiled down at her.

"Hey." He replied, "Any chance I could play games, too?" Elysia nodded vigorously and stood, taking Shane's hand and Melody's hand.

"Let's play hide n' seek in the backyard!" She said, dragging them around to the back. Melody and Shane shared a glance before following the happy little girl.

* * *

"Sir," Hawkeye saluted as she approached the colonel in his office. She held out a file for him, "I have some paperwork for you." Mustang groaned internally.

"Alright, when do they need to be done?" He asked, opening up the file and thumbing through the various papers of differing importance. He passed one paper and stopped for a moment, flipping the other pages to go back.

"The first half need to be done by tomorrow." Hawkeye said, "The rest need to be completed by the day after." Mustang's eyes widened when he found the page that had caught his eye. "I suggest you finish them by yourself, sir. I still cannot write _your_ signature where it is needed." She saw Mustang was still staring down at the paper, "Sir, have you listened to a word I've said?" Mustang said nothing, carefully reading the words on the paper, "Sir…" His eyes followed down to where his signature was required and his eyes narrowed, "Colonel Mustang, sir!" He jumped.

"What?" He asked.

"Sir, have you been listening?" She asked him, slightly irritated. Mustang shrugged.

"For the most part." He said, he turned his attention back to the paper.

"Well, do the paperwork, then." Hawkeye said, saluting before walking away. Mustang nodded in half-interest, still staring at the paper. The paper was a request for leave time that had been unused. Three months worth by the look of it, but it only asked for three days. His eyes narrowed when he saw who the leave time was for.

Second Lieutenant Joseph Bourgeois.

* * *

Melody kneeled down to Elysia's eye level. "Take care of yourself." Melody told her, "Finish your dinner, and sleep really good tonight, okay?" Elysia nodded. She held her arms out for a hug, and Melody obliged, "I'll see you 'round."

"Okay." Elysia said. Melody stood back up, "Will you come back tomorrow?"

"Maybe." Melody answered before looking to Gracia, "Thank you for having us over." Gracia smiled warmly.

"It was my pleasure." She said, "Come back anytime you like, we'll be more than willing to welcome you in." Melody smiled gratefully.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." She said. She and Shane waved goodbye to the Hughes as they walked back to Mustang's apartment. "I'm glad they're doing okay."

"Me too." Shane said, "I guess it's kind of a good thing when you think about it."

"What do you mean?" Melody asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"That, you know, Elysia was so young when he died." Melody's eyes narrowed and she looked ahead of her, "Wait, that's not what I meant."

"It's terrible that her father died _period!_" Melody snapped, "How is it a good thing that she's young?"

"She's a child. A little, tiny child who can't understand the world yet." Shane said softly, "She won't understand death until she's older. Until then, she survives in the bliss of childish ignorance." Melody looked back at him.

"The only difference is that the pain is delayed." She said, "She'll feel that pain, and when she does, it'll hurt like hell." Shane looked down at Melody with gentle eyes, which softened her just a bit.

"I'm sorry." He said, "I know how much you miss your dad, Mel, and I know how much you miss Mr. Hughes." He put his arm around her shoulders and held her closer to him, "I miss them, too." He rubbed her arm soothingly as he saw her wipe tears out of her eyes.

"I know." She murmured, leaning into him as they walked, "I know…"

* * *

Joseph finished the last part of the final circle he needed and smiled. "Finished." He said, he held up his hands and clapped, his eyes going to the two dummies of his friends. "I'll get you back, soon. Just wait." He placed his hands down on the circle, letting the entire room alight in the alchemical reaction.

* * *

Melody and Shane stopped walking when they saw the amount of circles surrounding them. Melody grabbed Shane's hand and he wrapped his arms around her. He linked their fingers as they fell through the hole that appeared underneath them, shutting their eyes and waiting to hit the ground.

* * *

Roy stepped through his apartment door, "I'm back." He called, shutting the door behind him. He put his coat down on a nearby seat and looked around, noticing the silence in the apartment, "Melody? Shane?" He walked down the hall to Melody's bedroom and opened the door, "Hey, where are you?" He walked down to his own bedroom and saw it was empty. He went through everywhere they could be, the bathrooms, the closets, he checked around the building and saw that neither of them were in sight. "Damn it." He ran back to his apartment and picked up the phone, suddenly noticing a note beside it.

_Mustang,_

_Shane and I went to visit the Hughes'_

_We should be back soon, so don't freak out._

_-Melody :)_

He let out a sigh of relief and instead of dialing the number of a friend of his in the authorities, he dialed the number for the Hughes' home. The phone rang two times before it was answered, "Hello?"

"Gracia? It's Colonel Mustang."

"Oh, hello Colonel. You haven't called us in a while."

"Yes, yes, I know. But I didn't call to catch up. Are Shane Trublood and Melody Kilgore still at your home?"

"Well, they were, but they left over an hour ago." Mustang's eyes widened and his hand gripped the edge of the counter the phone rested on. "Why? Are they alright?"

"I have to go." He said, hanging up the phone and dialing it again, "Colonel Mustang, calling from a public line, code: Alexander, Alpha, apple, Boris, Crete." He tapped his finger impatiently as the phone was finally picked up.

"Office of Colonel Mustang." Havoc answered.

"Havoc, send out a search party." Mustang ordered.

"Huh? What for?"

"Melody Kilgore and Shane Trublood have gone missing."

* * *

"Miss Melody and Mr. Trublood have gone missing?" Armstrong gasped over the phone, "I'll send all the help I can!"

* * *

"Miss Melody!" Ross called as she shone a flashlight in an alley. She saw a rat scurrying behind a dumpster, "Mr. Trublood!" She opened the dumpster and found nothing. She looked back to Block and shook her head. He sighed and shone his flashlight down the street.

"Miss Melody!" He called as he and Ross kept walking. Soldiers had been dispatched all over the city, looking for the two missing teens.

* * *

Joseph Bourgeois gaped down at the pile of ash in front of him. The dummies had been incinerated, even if the souls had made it to the bodies, they were dead. He screamed in anguish as he pushed his face into the floor.

* * *

Melody felt herself falling. Alone. She could only see darkness. Shane wasn't with her, but for some reason, she didn't worry. She felt the wind rushing her face as memories came rushing towards her, reminding her of Amestrian friends. It was like watching a film roll as she kept falling, gazing at the pictures and listening to the voices.

"_Who're you calling short, you gigantic freak?" He yelled._

"_You! You're the shortest fifteen-year-old I've ever seen!" She yelled back. The two of them had a glaring contest, and Mustang sighed._"_How incredibly beautiful!" Armstrong exclaimed grabbing Melody's hands. "A true heroine down to the very end! You save a life and be so modest!" He pulled her into a huge hug. "What a kind, humble soul you have Miss Melody!"_

* * *

"_M-Major… I can't… breathe…" Melody muttered as Armstrong held her. He immediately let her go.__Winry made the same face at Melody, who only responded with a "What?"_

* * *

"_Well, I wanna see how you're alchemist watch works, Mel. So can I see it? Please, please, please, please, please?" She said, Melody instinctively put a hand over the pocket her watch was in and freaked out._

"_Absolutely not!" She yelled. Winry made a pouting face._

"_Boy, you guys are stingy, aren't you?" She said, Melody let out a sigh._"_Thanks, Al. I kinda feel a bit better, now." She said, Al nodded._

* * *

"_No problem, what are friends for?" He said, Melody kept smiling as she looked over the pastures._

"_Yeah, we are friends, aren't we?" She asked._

"_Mm-hmm."__Melody leaned back from the window, "The lights are on inside."_

* * *

"_I'm going in." Edward said grabbing the door handle._

"_You can't do that!" Ross yelled at him as he opened the door. The group peeked inside the house. Everyone was shocked about the inside._

"_It's nothin' but books in there!" Ed yelled._

"_I can't believe someone lives in all that…" Block muttered._

"_Excuse me, Miss Sheska! You home!" Ed yelled, "Sheska!" Melody squinted at the area of books where it piled up unevenly, unlike the rest of the house._

"_I don't think she's here." Al said. Listening carefully, they heard somebody whimpering for help._

"_Help me… Please… Somebody… Please, help…"_

"_GAHH!"_

"_She's in here somewhere!" Al yelled._

"_I know, just keep digging!" Ed yelled back. Ross and Melody were both carrying books differently than the way the boys were digging, and they didn't get covered in books.__Shane stood next to Melody as they made their goodbyes to Ross, Block, Armstrong, and the Hughes family along with the Elrics and Winry. Melody stood in front of Gracia, who was holding Elysia, who was saying goodbye to Mel. "Are you really gonna leave?" Elysia asked, Melody nodded._

"_It's only for a little while, don't worry." She said, "When I come back, I promise, we'll get to spend the whole day together playing whatever you want, how does that sound?"_

"_You promise?" Elysia asked, Melody held up her pinky and intertwined it with hers._

"_I promise." She said, Elysia smiled and Melody hugged her and Gracia goodbye._

"_Have a safe trip." Gracia said, Melody nodded. She came up to Hughes, and smiled at him._

"_Safe travels." Hughes said, "And be sure to keep Blood-boy in line for me, he's always so slow." Melody smiled and nodded before she hugged him._

"_You know, Hughes…" She said quietly, "After everything that's happened, I can say that you've been like a second father to me." Hughes' eyes widened and he returned the embrace. "Thank you."_

"_You're welcome." Hughes said.__Ed turned to Shane and Melody, "Make sure you guys get to Central safely." They nodded._

* * *

"_You keep yourselves safe." Melody said, Ed's eyes widened and he stared at her. Al and Winry did the same, "What?" Melody blinked and tears fell out of her eyes. She kept blinking in confusion as she wiped them away, "Oh… Sorry… I… Ah…" She sniffled and everyone watched her, "Sorry, I… I can't seem to stop crying…" She looked at the brothers. "I guess… It's just… This feeling I have that we're not going to see each other again." Edward smiled softly at her._

"_Do you think of all goodbyes like that?" He asked jokingly, Melody shook her head and wiped her tears on her arm. "We will see each other again, Melody. I promise." Melody smiled softly and held out her pinky. Edward looked at her confusedly._

"_Secret shake on it." She told him, Edward smiled as he stuck out his pinky and intertwined it with hers. She led him through the steps as they shook, telling him what he should do as they switched to a handshake, reached up to tap their foreheads twice, then go back to a handshake, and then intertwining their pinkies again. "Now, you secret shook on it, no going back!" Melody said as she pulled her hand away. Edward smiled._

"_No going back." He said._Melody smiled and closed her eyes. Suddenly she felt her body lying on a flat surface, she slowly came to her senses. The darkness began to fade, allowing bright light to shine in, she heard a voice but couldn't tell what it was saying. She realized the surface she was on was hard and somewhat gravelly, like a street, and freezing cold. She blinked and saw she was on a street, Shane leaning over her, in the middle of the woods during what must've been winter. Shane smiled in relief when she looked over at him.

* * *

"Thank God." He murmured, "You scared me, Mel, I thought you weren't gonna wake up." He helped her into a sitting position and she looked at their surroundings.

"Where are we?" She asked, holding her head.

"I'm not sure." Shane said, he helped her stand up and they began to walk down the street, "You okay?"

"More or less." Melody muttered, she looked up as they came upon an old fence surrounding a snow-covered field. She looked down at the wood in the fence, looking vaguely familiar. She looked ahead to see some kind of building being blocked by a tree, she walked a little further ahead and saw a large, two-story white house with a black roof and eight windows, four up front, and two on each side. She saw a busted up old mailbox with '_Kilgore_' written in chipped blue paint. She recognized her house and looked to Shane, who was in shock.

"It couldn't be." Shane murmured, the door to the house opened and a little boy, who looked to be no more than seven or eight. He wore a big, red coat and underneath his wool cap were locks of fiery red hair. Tears welled in Melody's eyes as she saw her little brother, "LOUIS!"

He looked up when his name had been called and saw the teary-eyed brunette girl running up the driveway. Tears appeared in his own eyes and he called, "MELODY!" He ran at her and she knelt down, embracing her brother and holding him close as he cried, "Melody… You're back… Y-You're finally back…"

"Yeah, I'm back." Melody said, crying, "I missed you, you little squirt."

"I missed you, too." Louis cried. The door opened again to reveal a tall, middle age woman with thick brown hair in a brown overcoat, green scarf, and earmuffs.

"Louis! What is goin' on?" She asked, Melody looked up at her mother and gave her a teary smile. Her mother's tears began to trail down her face and she ran forward, taking her daughter's face in her hands, "Melody! Oh, my little girl!" She hugged her tightly, crying, "Oh, my baby! I was so worried, I was so scared!" Melody hugged her back. Her mother looked up at Shane, "Shane! Where were you? Your parents have been worried sick!" Shane shrugged.

"Away." He said, "I found Mel, though." Melody's mother turned back to Melody and kissed her cheeks.

"Thank God." Her mother murmured, she got up and kissed both of Shane's cheeks. "Thank you so much, Shane." She picked Melody up and kissed her cheeks like she had Shane.

"Mom," Melody laughed, "I'm just as happy as you are, but I'm not wearing any winter clothes and I'm freezing." Melody's mother looked her up and down, seeing she was only in a T-shirt and jeans.

"Oh! Yes, yes, of course." She said, taking both teens by the shoulders, "Come in, come in. I'll get you some hot chocolate and warm up some soup." She led them inside the warm house and shut the door behind them.

END

* * *

**HOORAY! THE FINAL CHAPTER! I know it's long, but I wanted to make this chapter somewhat decent. I'm so proud of myself! I finally finished! It took so long to write it because I've had to deal with *Takes deep breath* school starting, school holidays, homework, standardized testing, normal school testing, my birthday (9/29), my little stepbrother's birthday, school spirit week, rehearsing for a play, Halloween party-time, serving Halloween Trick-Or-Treaters, and my usual procrastinating self. *Phew!***

**I want to thank the following reviewers/watchers/people who faved for giving me the encouragement to keep this story going:**

**brendashack  
AnimeCookie93  
BornOnTheBreakOfDawn  
Kallypso  
Soni758  
AnimeCrazed121  
little firework  
DOTB18  
Draconian Master  
RedRose-Requiem  
kitsunelover300  
Mr. Jay black  
Purple Ninja Tempy  
Random Fangirl 0886  
Sleeping Echo  
Storm Uchiha  
The-Original-Lucky13  
yuukifan001**

**Thanks for all the lovely support!**

**PS- Sequel to story: Yes or no?**


	28. IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!

**LISTEN TO ME!**

**I made a sequel to this story!**

**It's called _'The Alchemist Returns'_**

**Read it if you want. I'd like feedback.**

**:)**

**-chibimaker**


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